“Nikola Jovic Takes Cautious Approach in Commitment Decision”
Both Terry Rozier and Nikola Jovic anticipate they’ll be ready to participate fully in Miami Heat training camp next month, saying they are nearing 100%.
In a conference call with local reporters Wednesday, Rozier outlined the process of his return from a neck injury that sidelined him for the final 11 games of the season, including the play-in tournament and Miami’s first-round series against the Boston Celtics.
The injury was first listed as neck stiffness that Rozier blamed on traveling and sleeping wrong in early April. But further tests revealed a more serious condition and the Heat began listing the injury as neck spasms. After the season, Heat president Pat Riley revealed Rozier spent some time in a neck brace.
Rozier is getting closer to being fully cleared. He said he’s playing 3 on 3s and anticipates graduating to 5 on 5s soon.
“Where I’m at right now is just about fully, fully, fully cleared to play 5-on-5,” Rozier said. “But I am doing every on-court activity, playing a little bit of 3-on-3. So I figure in the next couple weeks, I’ll be graduating to 5-on-5. I feel great.”
This will be Rozier’s first training camp with the Heat since being traded from the Charlotte Hornets in January. Rozier averaged 16.4 points on 42.3% shooting and 4.6 assists in 31 games with the Heat before his season was cut short.
“I’m a gamer, I’m a hooper,” Rozier said. “I think getting my wind up is the most important thing. But once we all come into camp together, just getting that full camp together is the most important thing. Not me trying to learn how to play five on five again, I’ll be fine. I think it’s just me getting with the other guys and getting on that level so we can play the right way, play together.”
Nikola Jovic nearly had his offseason and Olympic run derailed by a left ankle and foot injury he sustained during a June workout in Miami.
Jovic won a bronze medal this summer with Serbia at the Paris Olympics but almost didn’t play because of his injury. He told local reporters in a conference call on Wednesday that he spent most of his time in Paris rehabbing the injury.
“I had a little fracture,” Jovic said. “It was not just a normal sprained ankle, it was a little fracture that I had. I did the MRIs and everything, at that point they weren’t sure if I was going to make it in the Olympics. But my biggest goal was to just be there and be with the team and help them as much as I can and play.
“We flew to Paris and I knew I was not in great shape because I hadn’t played in awhile. My foot maybe wasn’t ready for a big role and we knew all that, and coach understands everything. But he still wanted me to go, he still believed I could help as much as I can and that’s what I did.”
Jovic’s focus now is on being ready for training camp on Oct. 1. He says he’s nearing “100 percent.”
“I would say I’m almost fully healthy,” Jovic said. “Of course, there’s a little ligament that still has to be 100 percent. They told me it would take a little bit more time, but it shouldn’t be an issue. Basically I’m 100 percent.”
Based on Jovic’s comments, it sounds like he and the team are taking a cautious approach to his injury.
“We’re making sure that my foot is good after every practice because the injury I had is of course not a joke and we really don’t want any new problems with it,” Jovic said. “If something starts hurting by any chance, I’ll probably need to step away [from training camp]. But I don’t think that will be the case and I’m really looking forward to being 100 percent and giving everything I have
