Nikola Jovic shows why Erik Spoelstra should change approach to Heat rotation

After a sluggish start put the Miami Heat down by as many as 16 points to the Toronto Raptors, Erik Spoelstra gave his team a jolt by inserting Nikola Jovic into the game. Once Jovic entered, Miami began to turn the tide and ultimately overwhelmed the Raptors en route to their fourth straight win.

It's time to include and leave Nikola Jovic in the rotation for good.

Prior to Thursday night's 114-104 win at Kaseya Center, the last time Jovic saw any action was Nov. 24 against the Dallas Mavericks. With a combination of an ankle injury and not playing up to Spoelstra's standard, Jovic fell out of the rotation.

Spoelstra has done this before. When Dru Smith was out of the rotation, Spoelstra unexpectedly called his number while the Heat trailed the Philadelphia 76ers by nearly 20 points. Spoelstra's decision to play someone from outside the rotation gave the Heat a spark then, and it worked to the same effect on Thursday night.

Jovic did a phenomenal job of running the break and spacing the floor, scoring 11 points in the second quarter and knocking down two 3s.

Jovic was also aggressive in attacking the basket and attempted seven free throws -- second most on the team behind Jimmy Butler's eight.

With how the Heat have played this season, there is no reason why Jovic should be a DNP-CD when the final buzzer sounds from here on out. Jovic adds another ball handler to the team and plays with pace. If Jovic is on the floor with a defensive lineup that can force turnovers, he can initiate the fastbreak and set up teammates for easy looks.

And while Jovic can be inconsistent on defense, other rotation players who can be negatives on that end like Kevin Love and Terry Rozier get regular playing time. Bam Adebayo, Haywood Highsmith, Dru Smith and Jimmy Butler can cover up a lot defensively and make those lineups work.

When part of the starting lineup at the end of last season, Jovic talked about his confidence and that translated to his performance on the court.

While Jovic did go through a tough stretch this season, it's hard to build any confidence when someone is being taken out of the rotation completely.

Like when Smith became a staple in the rotation after a strong outing against the 76ers, Spoelstra should let Jovic build off this performance. Because of his unique talent and fit in multiple lineups, there is no doubt that Jovic can prove he deserves a spot in the rotation.