We are officially one month removed from the conclusion of the 2024-25 Miami Heat season, which was one of the worst since the turn of the century. Over the next several (week)days, we will be reviewing how each Heat player performed throughout the 2024-25 season, recapping important numbers, best game(s) and their future outlook with the team. Today, we will be reviewing young wing Nikola Jovic!
Let’s dive into it, shall we?!?
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Brief Overview:
2024-25 stats (46 games):
- 10.7 PTS
- 3.9 REB
- 2.8 AST
- 45.6 FG%
- 37.1 3P%
- 59.5 TS%
After finishing the 2023-24 season as a full-time starter, Jovic began this season as a starter, though a nagging injury (suffered in offseason) impacted his start to the season. He was quickly relegated to the bench (in favor of Haywood Highsmith) and had an inconsistent role in the rotation up until the turn of the calendar.
From Jan. 1 to Feb. 21, Jovic posted a 24-game stretch averaging 12.8 points and 4.0 assists on 45.7/36.4/84.6 shooting splits before fracturing his hand, causing him to miss the regular season. He played in the postseason and was the Heat’s best player in Game 4, but none of what he provided was enough to salvage that mess.
Numbers To Note:
32.4 – Jovic has never been a pull-up jump shooter, and the numbers reflect that. Last year, the soon-to-be 22-year-old attempted just 34 pull-up jumpers, netting 11, a 32.4 percent clip. That mark is the third-worst on the Heat (min. 30 FGA), ahead of only Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Terry Rozier, two of the team’s worst shooters, according to NBA.com’s tracking data. I think if Jovic ever has plans of becoming “Point Jovic,” then he will have to diversify his shot profile a little bit more.
34 – Speaking of Point Jovic: He’s still pretty far from being a legitimately reliable initiator offensively. Last season, he finished in the 34th percentile in pick-and-roll ballhandling, sporting a dismal 44.3 effective field goal percentage and just 0.79 points per possession in those situations. Jovic does need to improve as a ballhandler in traffic as well as getting north-south (without a screen) in the halfcourt when he’s not attacking a closeout. He’s excellent in transition, has relatively long strides and can attack off rotation. Not to mention, Jovic is a very good passer. But his reps in the pick-and-roll just aren’t consistent right now. With more reps, I trust he will improve, though that will take time.
17 – In his first two seasons, Jovic played at least 30 minutes eight combined times. Last year alone, despite playing the same number of games as he did in 2023-24 (more on that later), he played at least 30 minutes 17 times. That’s a huge step in the right direction; it shows that he’s grown into a trusted member of Erik Spoelstra’s rotation. And he had awesome flashes alongside Tyler Herro, Bam Adebayo and Kel’el Ware. But let’s hope he’s fully healthy for a full season in 2025-26, which could be a huge season for his development.
46 – He’s never played more than 46 games, which is not ideal. He missed most of his rookie season with a back injury; he was out of the rotation for half of his sophomore season (developmental) and missed nearly half of 2024-25 with ankle, face (nose) and hand injuries.
Best Game?
This was a tough choice, but I think his best game of the season was on Feb. 5 against the Philadelphia 76ers–the night when Jimmy Butler, his pal, got traded. Jovic notched a season-high in points (23) while tying his season-most in made field goals (8), adding five rebounds, seven assists and one block. He didn’t force the issue, and did a good job leveraging his size into easy buckets against Philadelphia’s smaller defenders.
What’s next:
Nikola Jovic is extension eligible this offseason. Does that mean the Heat have to extend him? No. They can wait to re-sign him next offseason as a restricted free agent, but open themselves up to the possibility of another team (with cap space) swooping in to sign him.
I think Jovic is the Heat’s second-best young player behind Kel’el Ware, though I think the gap is closer than people think. He’s only 21-years-old. However, he’s only played 107 career games. Here are players in his draft class that have played more minutes than him: Caleb Houstan, Jake LaRavia, David Roddy, Jabari Walker and Malaki Branham, among 21 others.
Not all of that is a fault to his own, but this upcoming season will be huge for his standing in the organization (assuming he’s not traded). You can’t help but love the tantalizing skillset at his size. He’s an improved defender, (play) finisher and decision-maker. The Heat know what they have with Jovic … but they also don’t because he’s played the equivalent of one season plus an extra 25 games in three whole years. Even though he’s made remarkable strides with his body and malleability on both ends, that’s not enough.
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I see Jovic and Jaquez similarly. They need to show that they have turned the corner on their developmental years and are headed into the next phase of their careers before Miami considers making them long-term extension offers. If either or both are unable to make those strides, I think it may be time to trade them before they become restricted free agents (Jovic in 2026 and Jaquez in 2027).
Still think that he can be a player as is Avdija now, which is basically fringe all star player after 5 years in the league. He needs to become stronger, thats the main thing. The rest is about health.