With the Miami Heat’s turbulent 2024-25 campaign having officially come to a close, it’s time to look back and see which players met, surpassed or fell short of their respective expectations entering this season.
Nikola Jovic, one of Miami’s more recent hidden draft gems, has shown consistent signs of improvement through his first three years in South Florida. The 21-year-old Serbian forward was selected by the Heat with the 27th overall pick back in 2022. Since then, he’s worked his way up from the bottom of the depth chart to a key spot in the team’s rotation.
Jovic took another major step forward in the 2024-25 campaign, averaging career highs in points (10.7), assists (2.8) and steals (0.8) per game, as well as in overall field goal percentage (45.6%).
However, at least one major concern around Jovic remains as pertinent as ever: durability. The Serbian wing appeared in just 46 games this season, the same exact tally of appearances he recorded one year earlier. The reasons for Jovic’s absences varied from game to game, but the concerns around his availability (or lack thereof) remained a constant throughout the 2024-25 campaign.
In the playoffs, Jovic provided a surprising bright spot in an otherwise demoralizing first round series between the Heat and Cleveland Cavaliers. He scored a game-high 24 points in Miami's 55-point loss to Cleveland in game four, with the Cavs completing the sweep and ending the former squad's season.
Pending any major offseason shakeups, Jovic looks to be a part of Miami’s young core for the foreseeable future. If he is to reach his full potential, however, the up-and-coming forward will need to find a way to consistently stay on the court going forward.
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