Nikola Jovic has been impressed by Giannis Antetokounmpo’s ability to create opportunities for teammates since the superstar joined the Miami Heat.
Jovic offered a glimpse into Antetokounmpo’s court vision, explaining how the two-time MVP can consistently find open teammates even when defenses devote multiple players to stopping him.
“He can pass the sh*t out of the ball. It’s insane,” Jovic said. “Sometimes he’ll pass it in the right spot but you’re not there and it’s like ‘ahh f*ck, I gotta get to the right spot.’ You have this superstar that two guys have to guard every time and he still finds you right away in the perfect spot.”
Jovic also described a recent pickup game in which Antetokounmpo repeatedly created easy scoring opportunities for Miami’s players.
“We played pickup yesterday and Pelle had 6 wide open dunks. It’s insane how good his court vision is,” Jovic added.
Antetokounmpo has developed into one of the NBA’s most productive playmakers during his career. After averaging 1.9 assists per game as a rookie in 2013-14, he recorded at least 5.4 assists per game in each of the past nine seasons.
He averaged a career-high 6.5 assists in both 2023-24 and 2024-25 before finishing the 2025-26 season with 5.4 assists per game in 36 appearances. During that campaign, Antetokounmpo also averaged 27.6 points and 9.8 rebounds while shooting 62.4 percent from the field.
Across his 13-year career, Antetokounmpo has averaged 24.1 points, 9.9 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game.
His passing will be particularly important in Miami, where the Heat have paired him with Bam Adebayo in the frontcourt. The Heat acquired Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis from the Milwaukee Bucks in July in exchange for Tyler Herro, Kel’el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Kasparas Jakucionis, along with draft assets.
Miami subsequently added Klay Thompson and Tim Hardaway Jr. to strengthen its perimeter shooting around Antetokounmpo and Adebayo.
Jovic enters the new season as another potential beneficiary of Antetokounmpo’s playmaking. The 23-year-old averaged 7.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 47 games for Miami last season, although he shot 36.6 percent from the field and 26.9 percent from three-point range.
