By moving on from Haywood Highsmith and Duncan Robinson, the Miami Heat have finally opened the door to Nikola Jovic earning a spot in the starting lineup—or at least as the sixth man. It's a silver lining to departures that left many fans in disbelief, particularly the late-summer loss of Highsmith.
After three seasons of struggling to find the type of minutes that he needs to realize his potential, however, Jovic may finally make the leap in 2025-26.
Miami selected Jovic at No. 27 overall in the 2022 NBA Draft and has steadily increased his playing time in the three years since. He averaged 13.6 minutes per game as a rookie, 19.5 during his sophomore campaign, and 25.1 in 2024-25.
Unfortunately, Jovic started just 10 games in 2024-25—and has made it clear that he wants to be a full-time starter moving forward. Per Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald:
“First of all, I want to start. That’s the main thing. But it’s hard to really show yourself with the first unit. I don’t mind it. But if you’re not winning, someone who’s probably going to fall out of the first unit, it’s probably going to be me or whoever is that fifth guy. It’s really hard to be good. You got to be in the right spot and everything. But it’s an honor to be in the first unit.”
Thankfully, the opportunity to secure more minutes and potentially usurp Andrew Wiggins as the starting small forward may have just been presented to him.
Heat's roster exits clear a path to Nikola Jovic becoming a starter
Jovic has been nothing short of exhilarating when healthy, thriving as a shooter, playmaker, and developing all-around scoring threat. In 2024-25, that materialized with averages of 10.7 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 0.8 steals, and 1.7 three-point field goals made per game.
Those numbers translate to 15.4 points, 5.6 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 1.2 steals, and 2.4 three-point field goals made per 36 minutes—on .456/.371/.828 shooting, no less.
Injuries have played a factor in his usage and development, but one can't overlook the impact that the presence of players such as Highsmith and Robinson had on his playing time. Highsmith averaged 24.6 minutes per game in 2024-25, while Robinson checked in at 24.1.
For perspective: Jovic played 2,281 possessions in 2024-25, but only 932 were alongside Robinson and a mere 534 were spent with Highsmith.
That's a clear indication of how the Heat's trio of high-level bench shooters were more in competition for minutes than they were in stride with one another's opportunities. With this in mind, one can't help but feel as though two glaring voids have been created in the rotation.
Norman Powell will likely play upward of 30 minutes per game for the Heat in 2025-26, but there are still considerable minutes to go around at the 3 and 4 spots.
Jaime Jacquez Jr. is an obvious candidate to pick up some of the slack, but his erratic jump shot could work against him. Jovic, meanwhile, has shot at least 37.1 percent from distance in each of the past two seasons—and offers similar versatility to what makes Jacquez so intriguing.
With this in mind, it appears as though the Heat have finally gifted Jovic what he's been hoping for: An uptick in playing time that could lead him straight into the starting lineup.