Nikola Jovic
Despite his breakout performance against the Celtics on Tuesday night, Nikola Jovic probably doesn’t have a spot in the night-to-night rotation.
Heat fans have been clamoring for more Niko, but at 20, he’s still not ready to be relied on as a full-time starter or rotation player. He’s still too shaky defensively and streaky in terms of his offensive production.
A return to the bench shouldn’t be considered a step back for Jovic.
“He’s been making progress for multiple years,” Spoelstra said earlier this week. “It’s not something that happens overnight, and it’s not something that’s been linear.”
Jovic has gotten much better since his rookie season, and the Heat remain confident in his potential, but most of his work will have to continue behind the scenes in hopes of earning a rotation role next season.