Around the midway point of last season, Nikola Jovic earned his way into coach Erik Spoelstra’s starting lineup. That success has carried over into the new 2024-25 campaign, where the three-year forward secured the first unit role again thus far.

It has been a small sample size, but the Miami Heat’s preseason and first two games have shown that Jovic could supplement the team’s core four nicely. Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro and Terry Rozier pose a top heavy lineup with plenty of offensive upside. But that fifth piece to round out the group is crucial.

Jovic brings offensive versatility of his own and can play efficiently off of the rest of the starters. At 6-foot-10 with a 7-foot wingspan, he adds some size and length on both ends. Even with his height, he has excellent court vision and feel for the game when on the court.

He has ball handling capabilities, especially in the open court in transition. There was a sequence of back-to-back plays in the Heat’s 114-106 win against the Charlotte Hornets that showcased this.

First Herro picks up the steal, finding a cutting Jovic running the lane for an easy layup. Jovic moves well without the basketball in these types of situations and had poise in gathering himself for the crafty eurostep finish. He can finish with either hand at the rim, which makes him a threat in going downhill like that.

The second play is the more encouraging here, as Jovic showed active hands and took the ball down court at full steam. He was able to use his vision for the perfect lead bounce pass on an easy Herro slam.

The playmaking has always been an upside in Jovic’s game. Miami struggled in orchestrating efficient fastbreak finishes a season ago, which is one of his biggest strengths. He opens the game up more by providing that pressure.

Jovic’s versatility is felt in different ways, and it showed in the box score. The point forward did a little bit of everything in the Hornets win, finishing with 10 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds and 2 steals. He sported a +9 plus/minus when on the court and helped spread the floor with a pair of 3-point makes.

It has been an encouraging showing from the 21 year-old since the start of preseason. Over the years, there has been steady growth and development with still so much more untapped potential left to reach. His inside game and taking more advantage of his bigger frame is the biggest element to imrpove on presently.

However, Jovic has the skill set to impact winning now, as he provides the Heat with plenty of value alongside Butler and Adebayo in the front court.