(Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
With superstar guard Damian Lillard getting traded to the Milwaukee Bucks and defensive-minded star Jrue Holiday being dealt to the Boston Celtics, the consensus seems to be that the Miami Heat are the biggest losers of the NBA offseason in the Eastern Conference, as the team failed to upgrade its roster with another star player.
Despite being the favorite to land Lillard all summer long and being in the running for Holiday, who would’ve been a perfect fit in Miami, the Heat couldn’t get any trades done, which means the storied franchise needs to move on and focus on the roster they have in South Beach.
Even though the team didn’t hit any home runs this summer to improve their odds of winning it all during the 2023-24 NBA season, Miami is still a very talented team with a resilient group led by Jimmy Butler.
On Wednesday, Butler spoke to the media and talked about Nikola Jovic and how he’s going to play a significant role on the team moving forward, according to Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald.
Jimmy Butler on Nikola Jovic: “He’s going to play a significant role in these games with us. This kid is walking around like he’s been here six or seven years.”
— Anthony Chiang (@Anthony_Chiang) October 4, 2023
Jovic only played 15 games for the Heat last season, averaging 5.5 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 0.7 assists per game.
Obviously, he wasn’t a game-changer during the 2022-23 campaign, but the team has been high on him ever since they drafted with the No. 27 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft.
It’ll be interesting to see how the Heat use Jovic during the upcoming season and if he’ll be able to play a sizable role, as Butler suggests.
The post Jimmy Butler Makes Strong Statement On 1 Young Heat Player appeared first on The Cold Wire.