Jaime Jaquez Jr.’s hot start to the season could slowly be playing Nikola Jovic out of the team’s big future plans. It doesn’t help that Jovic has struggled through the first month of the season, but it’s certainly one storyline to keep a close eye on heading into the next couple of months.

Theoretically speaking, the Heat are likely going to have to consolidate their roster at some point in the near future. Especially as their young core continues to thrive, the Heat aren’t going to be able to pay all of them.

With Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo already on the books with big salaries, and a potential contract extension coming for Norman Powell, there’s almost no way the Heat will be able to keep their entire young core intact.

That means odds are that a trade to help consolidate the team’s roster is going to need to be made at some point soon. A difficult decision between two players like Jaquez Jr. and Jovic could be one way the Heat accomplishes that.

Jaime Jaquez Jr. has been a huge surprise for the Heat

And with the way Jaquez Jr. has played this season, it would be foolish for the Heat not to consider him a foundational piece of the future. He’ll certainly have to continue to prove himself the rest of this season, but averaging 16 points, six rebounds, and five assists per game on 53 percent shooting from the field through the first month of the season is not something that should be brushed aside.

Jaquez Jr. has taken a big step forward in his development as a young player and fits almost perfectly in the Heat’s new offensive system. He also may be considered the favorite for the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year at the moment.

Nikola Jovic’s struggles are hard to overlook

On the other hand, Jovic has had a near nightmarish start to the season.

After a strong summer for Team Serbia in the EuroBasket Tournament, Jovic has not been able to find his footing so far this season with the Heat.

Through the first month of the season, Jovic is averaging just nine points and four rebounds per game. He’s also shooting just 29 percent from 3-point range. Because of his inefficiency so far this season, along with the emergence of other young core pieces, Jovic is also averaging fewer minutes per game this season compared to last.

Sure, it’s still incredibly early to jump to any conclusions, but the early signs don’t seem promising for Jovic.

It’s not a foregone conclusion that the Heat will choose between Jovic and Jaquez Jr. heading into the future, but it also wouldn’t be surprising if they were almost forced to. And, at this point, it does seem as if Jaquez Jr. is the better player.