Heat coach Erik Spoelstra calls Nikola Jokic ‘very unique’ as Miami guard him with ‘all five guys’

The Miami Heat know they’ll have a rough time on their hands when it comes to guarding Nikola Jokic in the NBA Finals.

Denver’s MVP candidate has been phenomenal in the playoffs – averaging a triple-double of 29.9 points, 13.3 rebounds, and 10.3 assists.

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra knows that his squad is in for a tough series if they can’t contain the big man from Serbia.

‘He’s very unique,’ Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said Wednesday. ‘He doesn’t really have any noticeable weaknesses in terms of his size, his skill set. 

‘He’s one of one in the myriad of ways that he can impact the game and impact winning.’

Denver Nuggets big man Nikola Jokic should have a major impact on the NBA Finals

Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra called Jokic ‘very unique’ and that the two-time MVP winner from Serbia ‘doesn’t really have any noticeable weaknesses in terms of his size, his skill set’

As for how they may go about making things tough for the two-time MVP winner, Miami’s Jimmy Butler says the team will not be able to take a minute away from him.  

‘Guarding him as a team with all five guys,’ Butler said. ‘He does everything so well, and we’re going to have to be in the gaps, we’re going to have to gang rebound. 

‘We can’t have defensive lapses. We’re just going to have to get after it. I think at the end of the day, he’s a major key, as DJ Khaled would say, and we’re going to have to lock in.’

Most of the time, the task of defending Jokic will go to two-time All-Star Bam Adebayo – who said that he’ll focus on forcing his hand when he has the ball.

‘Force him into tough shots, and live with the result,’ Adebayo said. ‘That’s the biggest thing for me. 

‘I feel like this is one of those series where he becomes very dangerous when you let his teammates get involved, and he can make those incredible passes and end up with 12 assists.’

As for how Jokic is preparing to face Miami in Game 1 on Thursday night, he doesn’t seem all to concern with any defensive scheme the Heat generate.

Jimmy Butler says that all five players on the floor will be tasked with defending Jokic

‘You’re going to see tomorrow,’ Jokic said Wednesday, when asked about the zone and how it affects his play.

‘But we saw the zone. Definitely we didn’t see this kind of zone, because they are switching zones and they’re really, really messing up the game in their favor. 

‘We just need to be focused and solid in what we are doing because that’s why they are great, that’s why they are winning, that’s why they’re in the Finals. 

‘They’re messing the game in their way, and they’re doing that really good.’