As if another blown lead wasn’t bad enough, the Miami Heat also learned that Nikola Jovic will miss extended time after fracturing a bone in his hand in Sunday night’s loss to the Milwaukee Bucks.
Jovic was ruled out at halftime after experiencing pain and swelling in his right hand. An X-ray revealed that he had fractured his second metacarpal. Jovic will see a specialist in Miami on Tuesday, after which the Heat will make a determination on whether Jovic will need surgery.
A specific timeline has yet to be announced, but it’s fair to expect a prolonged absence for Jovic. When Tyler Herro fractured his third and fourth metacarpals in the first round of the 2023 playoffs, he missed about two months.
But enough of the armchair medical analysis. The Heat have basketball games still to play and need to find a way to replace Jovic’s size and skill as a third big behind Bam Adebayo and Kel’el Ware. Here are three of Miami’s options:
Kyle Anderson: After receiving Jovic’s minutes in the second half of Sunday’s loss, Anderson seems like the early favorite to replace Jovic in Erik Spoelstra’s shortened rotation. Anderson went scoreless in 8:31 of playing time in Milwaukee, but he’s an experienced option with the size (6-foot-9) and smarts to fill in the gaps.
Haywood Highsmith: It’s been a curious season for Highsmith, who has toggled between starting and DNP-CDs since the turn of the calendar. Highsmith has played in just two games since the trade deadline and was scratched from Sunday night’s rotation. His defense and ability to make open 3s have been crucial traits at times for this team. At 6-foot-5, he wouldn’t provide the size missing with Jovic out, but Andrew Wiggins can slide to the 4 and allow Highsmith to move into the lineup.
Jaime Jaquez Jr.: Mired in a sophomore slump, Jaquez has work to do to earn back a spot in the rotation. Jaquez is averaging 9.2 points on 43.7% shooting (including 29.3% on 3s) – all lower than his sensational rookie season. At his best, Jaquez can replace the ball-handling and versatility the Heat will miss without Jovic, but Jaquez has been far from his best so far this season.