Nikola Jovic spent last season looking like a player who had lost his footing. After averaging 10.7 points on .456/.371/.828 shooting the year before, the Miami Heat forward dropped to 7.3 points on a .366/.269/.683 slash line in an injury-hit 2025-26 campaign. His role shrank too, with his minutes sliding from 25.1 per game to 17.2.
That’s why Miami’s preseason opener mattered. In the Heat’s 129-105 win over the Toronto Raptors, Jovic looked far more like the guy the team needs coming off the bench. He finished with 11 points, seven rebounds, four assists, and two blocks in just 17 minutes, went 4-of-4 at the free throw line, and posted a +11.
The shot wasn’t perfect - he hit only 3-of-9 from the field and 1-of-4 from deep - but the rest of his game did a lot of the talking. And for this Heat group, that matters.
Miami has put together a strong starting lineup around Bam Adebayo and Giannis Antetokounmpo, but the bench is where the questions start. The second unit has defenders, shooters, and some pick-and-roll pieces, yet it still lacks a clean answer for shot creation and playmaking.
Jovic is one of the best candidates to fill that void.
He still has to shoot it better and score with more efficiency if he’s going to handle a major role, but Miami needs more than a scorer here. It needs someone who can help organize the second unit, not just finish possessions.
That’s where Jovic stands out. Tim Hardaway Jr. or Klay Thompson could lead the bench in volume scoring, and Bobby Portis Jr. is in that mix too, but none of them bring the same ability to run the offense. Pelle Larsson can help there, though his defensive workload means the Heat need someone else to ease the pressure.
Jovic offers a different kind of fit. At 6'10" and 240 pounds, he gives Miami a blend of wing skill and size that’s hard to find.
He can push in transition, see the floor, and finish plays himself. That kind of versatility could make the bench much easier to manage.
If he’s setting the tempo, if the shooters are moving around him, and if Nick Richards can help stabilize the pick-and-roll, the Heat at least have the ingredients for a functional second unit.
None of this means Jovic has solved everything. But between what he’s shown in Europe and what he just did against Toronto, Miami has reason to think last season may not be the real version of him. If he sharpens the half-court offense, the Heat could have the kind of bench piece that keeps Adebayo, Antetokounmpo, and Andrew Wiggins from having to sprint back in the moment the starters sit.
In Other News...
Tim Hardaway Jr Could Be The Heat's Real Swing Piece
Miamis offseason overhaul has been about more than just landing star power. Alongside the arrivals of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis, the Heat added Tim Hardaway Jr. to help address a long-standing need on the perimeter, a move that fits neatly with the later signing of Klay Thompson and the decision to keep Simone Fontecchio in the mix. Hardaway brings both spacing and a track record that suggests he can fit into a rotation built to punish teams for helping off the arc.
What makes him especially interesting is the way his profile could matter in bigger moments. Hardaway shot a career-high 40.7 percent from three last season with Denver and has been through the playoff grind before from his time with Dallas, giving Miami another proven shooter with some postseason scars. In a group already reshaped by major additions, the question is whether Hardaway ends up being just part of the shooting depth or the player who quietly decides how far this new-look Heat team can go. [Read more 🡒]
Klay Thompson Looks Like Miamis Best Bet In A Crucial Battle
The Heats preseason search for a starting shooting guard has become one of the more interesting early lineup decisions, and Klay Thompson is making a strong case simply by being the kind of reliable perimeter threat Miami has long valued at the position. Even with a scoreless preseason outing, Thompson still looks like the cleanest fit for a role that has often been defined by spacing, experience and the ability to punish defenses from the arc, which keeps him in the center of the conversation alongside Tim Hardaway Jr. and Pelle Larsson.
Hardaway brings his own proven shooting profile, but Thompsons track record and feel for the role give him an edge in a competition that feels less about upside than immediate trust. Larssons recent contract extension points to a longer-term future in the mix, but the Heat are still sorting out the present, and the starting job appears to be a battle between established options before the younger piece is ready to take the next step. [Read more 🡒]
Heat Suddenly Have A New Guard Worth Watching In Camp
Tre Donaldson put himself on the radar in a hurry during the Heats annual Red, White and Pink scrimmage, pacing the team with 25 points while also showing the kind of scoring and playmaking that can separate a camp invite from the pack. With Miami sorting through its backcourt options, every clean possession and every steady decision matters more than usual, and Donaldson clearly gave the coaching staff something to file away.
The timing only adds to the intrigue. Dru Smith is expected to miss a couple of weeks with a calf injury, leaving Erik Spoelstra to keep evaluating the guard room and other possible ball-handling answers. Spoelstra also singled out Ryan Conwell as another camp player making an impression, which suggests this part of camp is less about filling out reps and more about finding who can be trusted when the Heat need help in a hurry. [Read more 🡒]