Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra looks on during the second half of an NBA game against the Orlando Magic at Kaseya Center January 27, 2025, in Miami. D.A. Varela dvarela@miamiherald.com
Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra spent much of last week in Europe, and for good reason.
Not only does the Heat have three current players preparing to take part in this year’s EuroBasket tournament, but two of those players are recent Heat draft picks who are part of the organization’s youth movement. Heat forward Simone Fontecchio will represent his home country of Italy, Heat forward Nikola Jovic is on Serbia’s roster and Heat guard Pelle Larsson is playing for Sweden, with Jovic and Larsson among the seven players on Miami’s roster who are 25 or younger.
That had Spoelstra traveling through Europe last week, spending time in Stockholm to watch Larsson represent Sweden in a EuroBasket prep game against Estonia before heading to Belgrade to watch Jovic play for the Serbian national team in an exhibition against Slovenia.
“I was definitely motivated [by Spo watching], he’s one of the best coaches in the world, if not the best,” Jovic said during an interview after totaling 18 points and seven rebounds in 19 minutes in Serbia’s blowout win over Slovenia on Thursday with Spoelstra in attendance. “He went the extra mile to come see me, I definitely wanted to show that I’ve improved and that I’ll be even better next season.”
The Heat is hoping this year’s EuroBasket experience will help Jovic and Larsson return as better versions of themselves this upcoming season, with the start of NBA training camps only five weeks away. The Heat is set to begin training camp on Sept. 30 at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton.
But first, the 22-year-old Jovic and Serbia will begin EuroBasket on Wednesday against Estonia in Latvia.
Jovic, who was taken by the Heat with the 27th pick in the first round of the 2022 Draft, averaged career highs in points (10.7 per game), assists (2.8) and minutes (25.1) last season in his third NBA season. Jovic’s challenge is staying healthy and carving out a consistent role in the Heat’s rotation after beginning last season as a starter, then being completely moved out of the rotation, and ultimately thriving in a sixth man role off the bench during the back half of the season.
Miami Heat forward Nikola Jovic (5) shoots a three-pointer over Miami Heat guard Isaiah Stevens (4) during the second half of Game 4 of the Eastern Conference NBA Playoffs at Kaseya Center on Monday, April 28, 2025, in Miami, Fla. D.A. Varela dvarela@miamiherald.com
“I’m really excited for Niko,” Spoelstra said during a television interview while he was in Belgrade last week, with Jovic eligible to sign an extension with the Heat this offseason. “I love it when he spends time with the national team. Every time he comes back to us, he comes back more mature. I think being around a group that knows how to win, that really cares about winning, the team is so connected also. So I think it makes a big impression on him. We’re looking forward to some great things ahead for him with us.”
Larsson, 24, and Sweden will start EuroBasket on Wednesday against Lauri Markkanen and Finland in Finland.
“We just want to have him as an all-around player,” Spoelstra said of Larsson during a television interview while he was in Stockholm last week. “He’s a very smart player, he’s a heady player, very skilled. So during summer league, we just had him handle the ball for us. It’s more for his player development. It’s not that we’re trying to turn him into a point guard. But the more skills you can add, it can help your team and he’s a physical player.
“We call him a bully with the basketball. He knows how to draw fouls, he knows how to get into the paint, he’s improving his passing. We think with improved ball-handling, he’ll be able to take advantage of those skills even more.”
Miami Heat guard Pelle Larsson (9) dribbles the ball during the second half of Game 3 of the NBA Playoffs against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Kaseya Center on Saturday, April 26, 2025, in Miami, Fla. D.A. Varela dvarela@miamiherald.com
Larsson has already had a productive offseason, impressing during summer league. After an encouraging rookie campaign last season, Larsson flashed his growth and talent by averaging 17.4 points, three rebounds and three assists per appearance in his five summer league games this year.
Larsson, who was selected by the Heat in the second round of last year’s draft, earned the Heat’s trust as a rookie after beginning last season out of Miami’s rotation. He went on to log double-digit minutes in each of the final six regular-season games he was available for before missing the last three games of the regular season because of a sprained ankle and then returning to the Heat’s rotation in the playoffs.
With Spoelstra labeling Larsson as an “elite role player” even before his rookie season began, he showed why Spoelstra put that tag on him when he did get playing time. Larsson’s hustle, pesky defense and cutting ability immediately stood out, averaging 10.5 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.2 steals per game while shooting 44% from the field and 36.8% on threes during his final six regular-season appearances.
Larsson now wants to prove he deserves a bigger and more consistent role with the Heat in his second NBA season. He has $977,689 of his $2 million salary for next season already guaranteed, with the rest becoming guaranteed if he’s still on Miami’s roster on opening night
“You can see at the end of the year, he started to carve out a bigger role,” Spoelstra continued on Larsson. “What he does are the things that we value. He’s so tough, he makes winning plays, he’s a great role player, he fits around your best players and he will continue to get better because he has a great work ethic. And outside of that, he’s just a great human being.
“We like that balance of players that really know how to compete between those four lines, put it all out there to try to help your team win but also can be good people and get along with the other teammates. And he does that extremely well.”
Jovic and Larsson are a big part of the Heat’s internal improvement plan after being eliminated in the first round of the playoffs in each of the last two seasons. The Heat’s hope is their growth will be on display during EuroBasket in the coming days and weeks.
“Well, hopefully we’re going to be a lot better than last year,” Spoelstra said of the Heat during his interview on Swedish television. “We had to really navigate quite a few things during the season. But we did make the playoffs. The playoffs did not go how we wanted it to go, but the league is tough. It’s very competitive.
“We pride ourselves on finding a way to compete for a championship every single year, so that’s what our standard is, that’s what we’re aiming to do this year and I think we have a good group. We have an exciting group of young players like Pelle. And we have experience, and have that competitive drive that we look for. So it’s a matter of putting it together and getting out there and competing for it.”