The NBA world, or at least the pundits who cover it, doesn't seem to expect much of the Miami Heat for the upcoming season. Even though they brilliantly added Norman Powell at a huge bargain and seemingly scored a steal on draft night with Kasparas Jakucionis falling to the No. 20 pick, their offseason has elicited a collective shoulder shrug from analysts.
You wouldn't think, then, that this group would have a legitimate end-of-season award candidate within its ranks, but Nikola Jovic would like a word on that. With a strong showing at EuroBasket, he might be ready to climb the player ranks in award-winning fashion.
Jovic is an early sleeper in the Most Improved Player award race.
Jovic has been a bit of a mystery man ever since Miami selected him 27th overall in the 2022 draft. There have been flashes of high-end form, but they've often been buried between quiet or even silent stretches.
He did, however, take a notable step forward this past season. It wasn't a big enough one for him to hold down a regular rotation role for the campaign's duration, but he did piece together a big enough sample size to provide the clearest view yet of his well-rounded arsenal.
While he's often deployed as a 6'10" floor spacer—and often aces that role as a 37 percent career three-point shooter—he got to dip a little deeper in his bag the last time around. As a result, he not only netted a career-high 15.4 points per 36 minutes (on a personal-best 45.6 percent shooting), but he also dished out a career-high 4.1 assists (against 1.9 turnovers) per 36 minutes, per Basketball-Reference.
Jovic can tap into even more of his skill set in a starring role for Team Serbia, and that's apparently not the only thing he takes away from the experience.
"Every time he comes back to us, he comes back more mature," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said during a recent television interview (via Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald). "I think being around a group that knows how to win, that really cares about winning, the team is so connected also. So I think it makes a big impression on him. We're looking forward to some great things ahead for him with us."
Jovic may not fill the same starring role with the Heat, but he might snag a starting spot (which would alleviate some of the depth concerns at center) and play a prominent role in the offense. With his ability to shoot, handle, and create at his size, he's both a tough cover for opposing defenses and an advantage-creator for this offense.
If major minutes are consistently coming his way, there's no telling how high his stats could climb. And since he's starting at a relatively low point—10.7 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 2.8 assists in 2024-25—he could be in line for the kind of volume growth often seen in Most Improved Player award winners.
He's also potentially stepping into a contract year, although Miami might want to do what it can to get an extension agreement ironed out yet this offseason. If his numbers take off the way they could, MIP award voters won't be the only ones to take notice.