The 2025-26 NBA season has so far been one to forget for fourth-year Miami Heat forward Nikola Jovic. While there's obviously time to turn things around—and ways that he could do it—Heat fans might be losing faith for what was supposed to be such a big step forward.
Someone awfully important in the basketball world remains a believer, though. And it's none other than three-time MVP—and Jovic's Serbian National Team running mate—Nikola Jokic.
"He was made because I signed the extension," Jovic said of Jokic, per Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald. "He wanted me in Denver."
Jovic, of course, figures to be unavailable to Denver—or any NBA team other than Miami—for the foreseeable future after inking a four-year, $64.2 million extension with the Heat in early October. And while the earliest returns on that investment haven't been great, Jokic's endorsement is a strong reminder that Jovic should have a bunch of high-level basketball in front of him.
Sluggish start and all, Jovic remains a massive part of Miami's present and future.
While so many expected Jovic to sprint out of the starting blocks, he's been stumbling instead. And honestly, it's hard to say why this is happening.
He is better than he's shown, clearly. His points and assists are down, his turnovers are up, and his shooting rates are among the least accurate of his career.
Compounding the disappointment is that Miami's up-tempo, motion-based offense should fit his game like a tailored suit. The Heat want to play fast, and one of the simplest strategies for picking up the pace is having a jumbo ball-handler. Jovic, at 6'10", is one the savviest playmakers on the team.
He's just...in a funk, which admittedly doesn't sound like the shredwest analysis, but simple answers can still be the correct ones. Maybe he's feeling more pressure to perform after securing a sizable pay raise. Perhaps he's still finding his comfort zone within this dramatically different offense. He could be feeling the after effects of the injury issues that kept him out of half the team's preseason tilts.
Maybe it's even some combination of all of the above.
Whatever it is, it's holding him back, but there are myriad reasons to believe this is a temporary issue. His future still looks blindingly bright, and since this could flip at any moment, his present isn't nearly as doomy and gloomy as it appears.
And, yes, all of this would be true even without Jokic's co-sign. Still, when the planet's best (and smartest) player sees something in someone else's skill set, that probably means there's something there.