Heat’s fatal flaw that must be fixed after 2024 NBA All-Star break

It involves 20-year old, Serbian star Nikola Jovic, who has had a tumultuous season to say the least. Now, this story isn’t being written because Jovic was predicted to be a breakout star this season, but besides his still raw talent at his age, he adds size to a Heat team that desperately lacks in it.

In their usual starting five, it is Terry Rozier, Tyler Herro, Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, and the power forward position is usually either Haywood Highsmith or Caleb Martin. Very integral players for the Heat, but the team looks small whenever they face a team as it was especially evident against a team like the Boston Celtics or Milwaukee Bucks.

In previous articles, it has been said that during the NBA Trade deadline or the buyout market, a need can be to add size with some options listed like the Brooklyn Nets’ Dorian Finney-Smith or Danilo Gallinari. However, Finney-Smith was hard to obtain from the Nets and the Bucks ended up getting Gallinari.

A fix that solves the problem for the most part would be to start Jovic who is 6 foot, 10 inches as he adds the size needed, plus he can help with spacing as one of his traits is being a threat from three-point range. However, playing time has been sporadic for the young star.

A look at previous starts for Jovic who is 20 years old

In some cases, it’s understandable as he is very young, but one can argue the best way to hone in your abilities is to get playing time. Which recently, he has been getting as with stars such as Butler, Rozier, and Richardson out, he has been inserted into the starting lineup the past two games.

The Heat won both of those games to good East teams like the Bucks and the Philadelphia 76ers, where against the former, he scored a career-high 24 points and collected seven rebounds. Before the few starts recently, his playing time has been little to none.

He spoke about the playing time to Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel saying that “it’s wild” that his use is either he starts or he doesn’t get any minutes at all. However, he is loving the experience, crediting it as an important learning process as he expressed that “it’s going to work out.”

“The wild thing is,” Jovic said. “Either I start or I don’t play. It’s wild.”

“I love it,” Jovic continued. “I get to learn and I need to be ready when I get a chance. I’m working hard like I always do. I feel like everybody sees the improvement. I mean I want to play. Playing is the most important thing. But I feel like as long as they believe in me and I believe in them, it’s going to work out.”

Erik Spoelstra talking about Jovic’s development

Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra has said it on numerous occasions that Jovic has and will be a significant key to this Heat team. After the win to Milwaukee right before the break, he said that Jovic has been “very dedicated,” that he sees a “maturity and growth,” and says his 14 starts have been good for his development.

“Niko was very good; he generates more inertia for our team in transition,” Erik Spoelstra said which prompted him to talk about his dedication to the Heat. “He’s been very dedicated. I see a maturity and growth from last year to this year,… not getting discouraged. He continued to work, including after the Boston game. He went into the gym after the game and got more work in with the coaches. When guys start to do that, you start to see things change.”

“[They] were really important games for us where he played well and helped the unit function at a high level, and he handled it well when everyone got back to being healthy and waiting for his opportunity again. He stayed ready,” Spoelstra continued about Jovic’s starts. “Attention to detail, the discipline, understanding the schematics, the multiple efforts. He’s been making progress for a couple of years. It’s not improvement that’s been linear. There have been ups and downs,… going to [the Heat’s G League team in] Sioux Falls, having his stints with us.”

NBA general managers talking about Jovic

ClutchPoints isn’t the only one obviously that is wanting to see more of Jovic in the future as Heat fans have been craving for it as well. Everybody knows the talent is there, even NBA general managers do as well as according to Heavy Sports, one said that teams have asked for him in trade talks, but Miami has “never been looking to move him.”

“It is not like teams put out a list and say, ‘OK, here’s who is untouchable and here is touchable,’” one Eastern Conference GM said. “That’s not how it works. But anyone who asked about Jovic, it was a pretty firm no. They have never been looking to move him. He has been a near-touchable, at least.”

Another general manager on the Western Conference said that eventually, Jovic is “going to be a starter for them and a good one.”

“They could change their roster going forward, but what you’ve got to understand is, if they do, they’re going to change with him moving up in the rotation, not him moving out,” a Western Conference executive said. “Ask around, anyone who has asked about including Nikola Jovic in any kind of deals, there’s never been any real talk involving him. I don’t know when. I am sure the kid would like to know when, his people want to know when. But eventually, he is going to be a starter for them and a good one.”

It’ll be interesting to see if Jovic’s rise comes into fruition, especially this season. However, the goal for Miami right now is to stay healthy and recreate some magic from last season as their next game is Friday against the New Orleans Pelicans.