Nikola Jovic sure looks like the centerpiece of a Damian Lillard trade during the FIBA World Cup

Jovic was PERFECT during his most recent game for Serbia.

As the Heat and Trail Blazers continue trade talks for Damian Lillard, a name certain to come up is 2022 first-round pick Nikola Jovic.

The latest update on that front is that the Trail Blazers are reportedly “not impressed” with Miami’s offer for Lillard, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Portland’s front office may have to reconsider its stance, however, based on Jovic’s performance during the 2023 FIBA World Cup thus far.

Only recently 20 years old, the 6-foot-10 wing is the youngest player on the roster for the Heat. He helped lead Serbia to a perfect 3-0 record during team group play in the World Cup and now his team will advance to the next round of the tournament.

Jovic personally finished with 17 points (6-of-9 FG, 3-of-4 3P), 3 rebounds and 4 assists against Puerto Rico. But he was even more impressive playing against South Sudan in the final game of group play, recording 25 points (9-of-9 FG, 4-of-4 3P) with 2 rebounds and 3 assists.

He recorded no turnovers and has committed just one personal foul in 75 minutes of group play.

Serbia outscored its opponents by 68 points when he was on the court, per FIBA, which is the highest mark of any player not from the United States or Canada.

Jovic is 8-of-12 (66.7 percent) on his jump shots and 8-of-10 (80.0 percent) at the rim since the tournament began. Overall, per Synergy, he is averaging 1.89 points per possession — which is the most efficient mark of any player in the FIBA World Cup.

He ranks third-best among all players in HoopsHype’s Global Rating, trailing only All-NBA guards Luka Doncic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

So what is going on with the sudden emergence? Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra recently noted that this was a big offseason for Jovic, who had already bulked up from 220 pounds to 239 pounds when NBA 2K24 Summer League began (via Sun-Sentinel):

“Everything we were doing with our program from the conditioning to the weight-room work to the rehab work to the basketball skills development was to prepare him for summer league and then potentially have an opportunity to play for his national team.”

During that stretch of four games, he averaged 21.7 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists per 36 minutes for Miami.

Jovic has stated that he hopes to stay with the Heat because the organization has helped him a lot, but he also acknowledged that whatever happens will happen.

The reality is that Jovic is an ideal trade centerpiece for a move involving Lillard. He is 6-foot-10 and yet he is capable of hitting jumpers off the dribble, connecting on all three of these opportunities during exhibition play for Serbia before the World Cup officially began.

Unlike other rumored trade pieces from Miami for Lillard (like Tyler Herro), Jovic doesn’t have the same positional overlap with the foundational players already on Portland’s roster like Scoot Henderson and Anfernee Simons. He can complement what the Trail Blazers are already building.

If his hot streak continues, perhaps a trade between Portland Miami happens sooner than later after all.

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