Film Room: The Breakout of the Bosnian Bruiser

On a night when the Tigers needed another option, Filip Jović came through big-time. Here's how Auburn unleashed him on South Carolina.

(Zach Bland/Auburn Tigers)

The breakout was brewing.

Filip Jović had been finding his footing during his first few SEC games as an American college basketball player. The Bosnian-born big man’s debut in the conference was his first double-double for Auburn. He quickly established himself as one of the most efficient finishers and offensive rebounders in the league.

Jović was adjusting to playing a new style of basketball, in a new country, in a new language. Even if he didn’t always have a firm grasp of the play calls, he was going to attack his assignments with plenty of hustle. Making the effort plays earned him more playing time and more opportunities for an Auburn team that could use more of them.

“He's a dog,” star point guard Tahaad Pettiford said this week. “He gives us energy every single day. We know what we're gonna get out of Filip every single night. He just wants to win. He's a great guy off the floor — always smiling, always happy.

“He's just somebody I know I'm ready to go to war with every night.”

Jović definitely went to war Saturday evening against South Carolina. In a game Auburn absolutely needed to win — and a game in which the Tigers couldn’t find much success with their jumpers — Jović had by far his best performance.

The victory marked a new career-high in points (23), minutes played (30), field goals made and field goals attempted. He tied his high mark in free throws and steals, securing his third straight game with two takeaways on defense.

According to Basketball Reference, Jović’s game score eclipsed his previous high by a margin (6.8) equal to his season average.

“You saw how physical he was and how he did such a good job using shot fakes and scoring on angles,” head coach Steven Pearl said this week. “It was really good to see his ability to score around the rim and do different things. It's definitely something that, when he's in the game, we need to look at it.

“When he's scoring it at such a high rate around the rim — he leads the SEC in offensive rating since league play began — we've got to continue to feed that, because he's playing with a lot of confidence right now, and it's been effective.”

Jović’s breakout performance could not have come at a better time for Auburn, because it needed another option to grind out a win. The European import was the perfect poster child for that type of victory, beating up on South Carolina down low to the point where Lamont Paris’ players were asking him for double teams.

How did Auburn get Jović rolling so early and so often on offense against South Carolina — and how might the Tigers’ coaching staff keep going to that well in future matchups?

In this edition of the Film Room, let’s take a closer look at the play calls and the situations where Jović thrived against South Carolina in a bruising breakout performance that Auburn fans are still talking about heading into Tuesday night’s road game at Ole Miss.

What we heard from Auburn basketball before a big trip to Ole Miss

Jović checks in after the first media timeout with 14:40 to go, with Auburn up 6-4 and in possession after Pettiford forced a turnover under the basket that brought Pearl off the bench in celebration.

In this rotation, Jović subs in for Murphy, replacing him in the 5 spot.

Straight to Business

Auburn wastes no time getting Jović involved, opening his minutes with a Flex call initiated by a 1-5 ball screen.

South Carolina chooses to blitz Pettiford, a common strategy for opposing defenses this season. Jović reads the double, slips out of his screen quickly, and receives the exit pass at the right slot.

Now, notice the action around the left block at the moment of the catch.

Keyshawn Hall sets a weakside Flex screen for Kevin Overton, who cuts from the left corner to the right block. Hall pops out to replace him, drifting out deep on the left wing.

Here’s the key to the play.