With the Miami Heat taking on Duncan Robinson and the Detroit Pistons on Saturday night, it will be the second straight game where the team is entirely healthy. As the Heat comes in with a fully healthy lineup, there were some changes and sacrifices made to certain players and their roles within the rotation, such as Nikola Jovic.
Before Wednesday's win over the Milwaukee Bucks, Jovic had missed the last four games with a hip injury, but fans were hoping to see the 22-year-old improve after what has been a frustrating season. To continue with that trend, Jovic wouldn't log a single minute, falling out of Miami's rotation, as head coach Erik Spoelstra rolled out a 10-man lineup in the 106-103 win.
While Jovic could have felt any type of way about the decision, he would instead complement the team's depth.
“I think if I’m the 11th guy on the bench, I think we have a pretty good team,” Jovic said after Thursday's practice, according to The Miami Herald.
While it has been an up-and-down season for Jovic, he has received healthy scratches before, like last season, where he did not play in six straight games before finishing the season with double-digit minutes in the final 32 games.
“I’m good,” Jovic said. “It’s something that happens, you know, I guess every season now. I’ll be back, I’ll get back on the court again, I’ll get a chance, and I’ll show that I can play again. And then the circle comes around.”
Heat's Nikola Jovic admits “difficult” process
Still, there's no doubt some concern when seeing the healthy scratch for the young player, especially when the Heat signed Jovic to a contract extension last month. Jovic would admit that it is a “difficult” process to go through, not playing when healthy, but he is committed to the process as he waits for his “opportunity.”
“It’s still difficult,” Jovic said. “You don’t want to be out. It gets a little confusing. But now it’s really become a, I guess, normal thing. The good thing is I have examples like Duncan [Robinson] before, who would be a big piece and then not play at all, and a lot of stuff like that. So I’m just chilling and waiting for my opportunity.”
Jovic has been open when talking about his development, saying after his 29-point, nine-rebound, six-assist performance against the Portland Trail Blazers that he felt that before the contest, he wasn't helping the team. It's no doubt a change for everybody on the team as Miami is running a new offense focused on a free-flowing, fast-paced system.
So far this season, Jovic has averaged 8.8 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game while shooting 40.2 percent from the field and 29.4 percent from beyond the arc. It remains to be seen if Jovic's role stays the same with the next opportunity coming on Saturday against the Pistons as Miami looks for seven straight wins.
