The Miami Heat are about to hit a crossroads with a Nikola Jovic reality that may not have seemed real, though it was already developing, until now.
It's going to be awfully difficult for the Heat to have Jovic ride the bench all season long. Because his new contract extension kicks in this season, the Heat will have every incentive - and perhaps even some desperation - to try to make the Jovic experience work.
And that is going to push the Heat to finally live out the Jovic problem that perhaps never felt quite real last season. But now, the opposite couldn't be more true.
After falling out of the rotation entirely last season, Jovic has a long road ahead to earn his way back in the good graces of the Heat. But, on the flip side, Miami will also have every (financial) reason to try and make it work with Jovic.
In what will be Jovic's first year of a new $60-plus million contract that will pay him $15-plus million per season over the next four campaigns, the Heat will be forced into a difficult decision. More specifically, Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra will have to either try to make Jovic work while also balancing Giannis Antetokounmpo's first season with the team, or bench one of the highest-paid players in the league.
For Spo specifically, there may not be any easy answers.
The Heat must figure out how to make Nikola Jovic a net positive
Heading into this season, Jovic will be the fourth-highest-paid player on the roster. If Jovic isn't able to rebound after a pretty disappointing season a year ago, it would represent a good amount of "dead" money on the Heat's cap - and for the next few years.
For a team that is trying to build a championship contender (around Giannis) on the fly, it's not a great development if your fourth-highest-paid player on the team is unusable. That will give every incentive for Spoelstra and the Heat to try and get things right with Jovic.
But, with all the complexities that the Heat already have heading into the start of this season, that could end up being a lot easier said than done.
On paper, Jovic should be a rotation player in the league. He's looked good throughout his time playing with Team Serbia overseas, and even had his bright moments in pre-season for the Heat last year. For one reason or another, last season was just a downright disaster for his development.
That needs to change this season, and that's the problem that the Heat must finally confront.
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