Miami Heat forward Nikola Jovic will not need surgery after fracturing his second metacarpal in Sunday’s loss to the Milwaukee Bucks and will be re-evaluated in four weeks, the team announced Tuesday.
The team also disclosed that he was evaluated by the chief of hand surgery Dr. Elizabeth Ann Ouellette in collaboration with the Heat’s team physician, Dr. Harlan Selesnick, in Miami.
Jovic, 21, only played 15 minutes in Sunday’s loss before missing the entirety of the second half with a hand injury. He scored seven points on 3-of-4 shooting.
He is currently averaging 10.7 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.8 assists on 45.6 percent shooting and 37.1 percent from 3-point range on 4.6 3-point attempts per game. Jovic was playing the best basketball of his career after a slow start to the season due to an ankle injury he suffered last summer ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics.
This is encouraging news, all things considered. Him missing at least the next four weeks would likely bring him back in late March or early April, depending on how the ramp-up process goes. The former No. 27 overall pick will be eligible for an extension this offseason.
As we evaluated earlier Tuesday, the Heat’s most likely fate is being a play-in team for the third consecutive season–held from April 15-18. There’s still a chance that he will return before that date, barring any setbacks.
Miami is currently 26-30 in the East, tied with the Atlanta Hawks for the No. 8 seed despite being one game ahead in the loss column.
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He is probably done for the season. These surgeries usually take at least 6 weeks to heal (early-mid April. The season ends April 13th. Jovic has one year left on his contract (team option).
That’s good news for the young man