Heat's Nikola Jovic enters important, but uncertain offseason: ‘I'll control what I can control'

Miami Herald

16-05-2025

It has been quite the year for Miami Heat forward Nikola Jovic.
It began last postseason when Jovic made the first playoff start of his NBA career and continued last offseason when Jovic won a bronze medal in his Olympic debut as a member of the Serbian national team. That brought Jovic to his third NBA season, which he began in a starting role that he eventually lost before thriving as a reserve to average career highs in points (10.7 per game), assists (2.8) and minutes (25.1) this past season.
'Man, his last 14 months have been really important,' Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said when asked about Jovic's development. 'Even going back to last year's playoff series. Having that experience, a summer of work and then all of this. He started out as a starter and then being out of the rotation, having to fight for it again and all the little things, and then earning back basically a sixth or seventh man role and thriving in that role before he got hurt. He has made significant progress.'
Jovic, who turns 22 on June 9, now wants to use this offseason to make even more progress.
'I think I can improve in a lot of things,' Jovic said when asked on exit interview day what he wants to work on this offseason. 'I think I improved since I first came here. But just in every part, I think consistency is one thing that I really struggled with even this year. So first being consistent, knowing what I have to do on the floor every night. After that, I feel like I can do a lot of things on the floor.
'I never thought I was a player who always knew just to do one thing. I think I'm going to work on a lot of things. I'm just going to work on my game. I think that's what it's all about because I don't know what the future is going to bring me, what situation I'm going to be in, what coach is going to want me to do. So yeah, just work on whatever they need me to work on and work on everything that I think I need to work on.'
Jovic, who was taken by the Heat with the 27th overall pick in the first round of the 2022 Draft, flashed his upside after moving to a bench role this past season. He logged double-digit minutes in 31 straight regular-season games, averaging 12 points, four rebounds and 3.6 assists per game while shooting 45.3% from the field and 37.8% on threes during that two-month span.
But an injury put an end to that impressive string of games, as Jovic broke his right hand on Feb. 23 and missed the final 27 games of the regular season. He returned to take part in the Heat's short-lived playoff run that ended in the first round for the second straight season.
'I think since the new year and before my injury, I felt like I was pretty consistent and I kind of found my role coming off the bench and doing something,' Jovic said. 'Then the injury kind of put me back down. That's part of being consistent, the little injuries that I have to avoid somehow. But I felt pretty confident, I felt like I could bring a lot of stuff from the bench during that stretch.'
Jovic now enters an important offseason after a foot injury slowed him last offseason and the Heat's deep run to the NBA Finals in 2023 shortened his first NBA offseason.
Jovic hopes to stay healthy and on the court this offseason before joining the Serbian national team in late July to prepare for EuroBasket 2025, which begins on Aug. 27.
'The last two summers, I really didn't have time to work on anything,' Jovic admitted. 'This summer I feel like I hope I stay healthy and everything goes good until the training camp for the national team, which is probably at the end of July. So I have a solid three months to work on something. What that something will be, I don't know yet. I still have to connect with the coaches and think about it a little bit. But I feel like this might be the first summer that I actually have some time to improve my game.'
While the hand injury put a pause to the momentum Jovic created this season, he still flashed growth with his improved outside shooting and his ability to play as a connector on offense at 6-foot-10.
But Jovic's combination of skill and upside makes him one of the few developmental prospects on the roster who can help facilitate a potential Heat trade this offseason. Or will the Heat make a long-term commitment and sign Jovic to an extension this offseason?
Jovic is due $4.4 million next season in the fourth and final year of his rookie contract before becoming eligible to be a restricted free agent during the 2026 offseason. He becomes eligible for an extension on July 1.
'I've been here from the jump,' Jovic said when asked how much he wants to remain with the Heat. 'If it wasn't for them, I wouldn't be in the situation that I'm in right now. They helped me not just become a better basketball player, but a better person too.
'I feel like this is my second home. This is where I kind of grew from a boy to a man. Of course, I would love to say. But things change. Everything can change. If I learned one thing this year, this is more than just basketball. It's a business, too. So I'll control what I can control and be better this summer.'