Miami Heat fans are right to feel excitement about Nikola Jovic and his future in this league. And now, after Jovic revealed that he's been working out with three-time MVP Nikola Jokic this summer, that intrigue for the future should only be growing based on what that could mean for the Heat when they finally land another star player.
In a recent interview with BasketNews.com, Jovic spoke about his experience working out with the Denver Nuggets star this offseason. "I learned a lot from him, offensively and defensively," Jovic said. "Playing with him is just easy. He's the best player in the world. He knows what he's doing ... If you're in the right spot at the right moment, he'll find you. So it's easy to play with him. He's so smart, so talented that it's really easy to play with him."
Anytime you're able to rub elbows with one of the greatest players of a generation, it's always going to pay off for you in one way or another. For Jovic, part of that means refining his own skill and becoming a more cerebral player. I don't think there's a player in the game today that sees the floor better than Jokic, so just spending time around the guy on the hardwood in a one-on-one setting is going to give you a better grasp of how he thinks with the ball in his hands.
Nikola Jovic's workouts with Jokic have some exciting ramifications
But then there's the ripple effect of these workouts as well. This is where things get even more exciting for Heat fans. It's one thing to think of how being around Jokic is going to sharpen Jovic's game, and it's another to consider what that means for Miami's long-term team-building.
Maybe Jovic continues growing and becomes a really high-end role player that can be looked at as a foundational piece or even a co-star to a bigger-name player. That would be an excellent position for the Heat to find themselves in, particulary when they inevitably attempt to bring in another player of that caliber via free agency or trade.
In this day and age where tax aprons mean everything, internal development is as important or more important than it's ever been. For Miami to find themselves with a guy like Jovic slowly coming into his own, it might mean they can have him playing on a relatively cheap second contract while he becomes a real force unbeknownst to everyone except Heat fans.
It's probably not reasonable to expect these summer workouts to turn Jovic into a league MVP. But they will absolutely accelerate his individual progression, and the ramifications of that are certainly promising for the Miami Heat.