Predicting the Heat's perfect starting lineup after ideal offseason
By Will Eudy
Power forward: Nikola Jovic
One thing many Heat fans were hoping for last season was that the front office would take a leap of faith and acquire another high-level frontcourt player to put next to Bam Adebayo. A Daniel Gafford or a P.J. Washington certainly could have provided a lift in theory, and seeing both of them play a big part in getting Dallas to within two wins of the NBA Finals has to give Miami the feeling of a missed opportunity at some level.
But clearly, the Heat are opting to either make a move in the offseason or rely with what they have on their current roster. Assuming they roll with the latter, Nikola Jovic could be an excellent option for the day-one starter at the four. Already earning 38 starts in his 46 games played this past season, Jovic took a sizeable leap from his rookie year.
Multiple teams around the league were reportedly interested in Nikola prior to the trade deadline, and Miami, being confident in his upside, made sure to retain him. Extremely versatile and an excellent shooter that can space the floor, Jovic can quickly grow into a big-minutes player given the right opportunity.