It's still early, but Nikola Jovic's shaky start to the season could quickly have the Miami Heat regretting their decision to sign him to an early contract extension. Jovic has not been good for the Heat and is teetering on the fine line of a player who may fall out of the rotation if things don't change quickly.
Deep down, I can't envision Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra pivoting away from Jovic in the rotation, partly because he is, at times, loyal to a fault, but if that did happen, I can't imagine many fans would be shocked by the move.
With how Jovic has played through the first few weeks of the season, anything and everything should be on the table in an attempt to get him back on track. That includes sitting him for a while.
Nikola Jovic's struggles are concerning
Overall, Jovic has been less productive and efficient on the offensive end of the floor this season. Considering his strong summer that Jovic had while playing for Team Serbia in the EuroBasket Tournament, this is quite surprising.
Many assumed, including the Heat, that Jovic was going to enter this season with the momentum needed to push his individual development forward. The overwhelming belief was that Jovic was the one Heat young player who was ready to make the jump to potential stardom.
At the very least, he was certainly going to take a bigger role on the team this season. So far, there's an argument to be made that the opposite has happened.
Averaging fewer points and fewer minutes per game for the Heat compared to last season, Jovic's role with the team is in question at the moment.
It'd be foolish to completely give up on the idea of Jovic taking that next step in his development this season, but the early returns don't look great. The fact that the Heat extended Jovic to a four-year, $60-plus million extension before the season, with the idea that Jovic was on the precipice of a breakout season, just makes this entire situation that much more head-scratching.
At this point, the Heat won't admit that giving Jovic an early extension was a mistake, but his struggles to start this season are far from ideal. Jovic was largely expected to play a big role this season for the Heat. So far, he hasn't stepped up to the plate.
And, if nothing else, the Heat should be disappointed in that more than anything else.