MIAMI – There was a time when this was viewed as much as an experiment as a pathway to the postseason rotation. Curiously, Nikola Jovic starting at power forward no longer comes off as a curiosity for the Miami Heat. With efforts such as Sunday night’s against the Indiana Pacers, when he helped turn around a moribund Heat start with his 16 points second half, and then with his 23 points in Tuesday night’s double overtime victory over the Atlanta Hawks, the 2022 first-round pick out of Serbia has made it look more possible and plausible that he also could be Erik Spoelstra’s starting power forward in the Heat’s postseason opener. “It really just goes to show who Niko is,” said forward Jimmy Butler, who arguably stands as Jovic’s biggest supporter in the locker room. “We’re going to need that guy for this run that we’re going to make.” With Jovic in the starting lineup, it has provided the Heat with some of the shooting and ballhandling that the team had missed in the 20-game absence with Tyler Herro sidelined. But now with Herro back, it could mean another adjustment for Spoelstra, who often alters his lineup and rotation in the postseason. Still, with so much at stake for the Heat, the fascination with Jovic as a starter comes off as more than seasoning, at a point of the season when the Heat are beyond such concerns. “I’m feeling good about where this is,” Jovic said ahead of Wednesday night’s game against the Dallas Mavericks at Kaseya Center. The splits with Jovic are difficult to compare, considering he went into Wednesday averaging 21.5 minutes in his 35 starts, compared to 7.5 minutes in his eight reserve appearances.
Heat’s Nikola Jovic Steps Up In Rotation And Up In Competition, Now Viewed As Real Deal
Ira Winderman, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Wed, 04/10/2024 - 6:53am
Topics: there curiously nikola jovic indiana pacers atlanta hawks erik spoelstra s jimmy butler jovic s we re with jovic dallas mavericks kaseya center related articles tyler herro s winderman s it s bam for finals caleb martin highsmith but world cup especially i ve so i m butler rozier miami the i niko jovic jovic miami heat atlanta serbia spoelstra it but but herro tyler herro i i m he adebayo he s i i m real season starter postseason power reserve forget turn opponents helped feet attack hard star compared summer nba wednesday run challenge good grown means guys game team
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