Miami Heat: Ceiling and floor for Nikola Jovic’s role in 2022-23 season

Nikola Jovic #5 of the Miami Heat poses during the 2022 NBA Rookie Portraits at UNLV(Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
Nikola Jovic #5 of the Miami Heat poses during the 2022 NBA Rookie Portraits at UNLV(Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
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Miami Heat
Nikola Jovic’ #5 of the Miami Heat drives to the basket on Alex Morales #26 of the Golden State Warrior in the first half during the California Classic(Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

Miami Heat: Ceiling for Nikola Jovic’s role in 2022-23 season

When it comes to Nikola Jovic, the Heat’s latest first-round draft pick who saw his summer league time cut short due to injury, what should be the projections for his role in the coming season? Let’s talk about it.

Ceiling

There will continue to be an adjustment for the Miami Heat’s Serbian rookie.

Taking a few games in summer play, even, to adjust to the speed, physicality, and sheer upgrade in the athleticism of the completion from his last professional stint to this one, you know that will happen again as he begins to face regular NBA competition as well.

How much of that he will face on a consistent basis outside of practice is the question though. At his absolute peak this season, Jovic should be a rotational piece that plays around 20 minutes or so per night.

The guy can drive the ball, shoot the ball when he gets going, and has shown an ability to endure the physicality it takes to play in the paint, at the rim, and in traffic, though just on the summer circuit.

If he can find some sort of consistency on the things he was supposed to do well coming into the league, those things he showed in one of his better Summer League showings, then he should easily be a rotational guy with his size and skill set.