The Miami Heat have been patient with the development of third-year forward Nikola Jovic. It’s been steady, but has he shown enough to be a long-term piece for the Heat?

It’s tough to decipher, and the broken hand injury that kept him out for the majority of the team’s second half of the season only made that harder.

Jovic emerged as Miami’s starting power forward a year ago during the 2023-24 season— until Kel’el Ware came into the picture. In an evolving league where small ball is slowly being abandoned, Ware’s functional size presents more versatility and potential within coach Erik Spoelstra’s frontcourt.

Now, Jovic submitted this most recent campaign playing an assortment of different roles. Whether it was with the starters, playing as the primary ball handler off the bench or being benched entirely— it was an inconsistent third year for the 6-foot-10 forward.

Despite Miami’s playoff shellacking, Jovic barely played. Granted, he was coming off a significant injury that had sidelined him for months to that point. Still, Spoelstra was looking for a spark, and only got it in spurts out of Jovic.

Nikola Jovic is eligible for up to a 3-year $30 million contract extension starting July 1st.

Most notably, the Heat got some valuable minutes from him in their Game 2 loss against the Cleveland Cavaliers. It was his first bit of action since the injury, and he provided an impact that shifted the energy in Miami’s favor.

However, he struggled mightily with his shooting. It may have been rust, or it may have been a slight dip in 3-point efficiency all season, where he shot 37% from deep compared to the 40% the year prior.

Jovic finished the season averaging a career-high 10.7 points to go along with four rebounds and three assists on 46/37/83 shooting splits.

There is still a much higher ceiling involved here with Jovic than the likes of some other prospects, such as Jaime Jaquez Jr. or Pelle Larsson. But if the Heat are going to invest more financial resources into him, they need to be sure of his role moving forward.

With Ware being featured as Bam Adebayo’s frontcourt partner moving forward, that leaves the bench as Jovic’s most likely rotation spot. If he could work on his handle, outside shooting and defense, he could develop into Spoelstra’s Swiss Army knife off the bench.

It’s also worth noting that he could very well be utilized as a key piece in facilitating an offseason acquisition.

Whether the Heat will remain patient with Jovic is yet to be seen. But they need to figure out a route for his progression sooner rather than later.