Heat’s Jovic waiting for opportunity: ‘It’s on me to continue to work.’ And Butler back, Lowry out

Three of the Miami Heat’s recent first-round picks have been consistent members of the rotation through the first two-plus weeks of the regular season.

The Heat’s 2017 first-round pick Bam Adebayo is the starting center and has developed into one of the NBA’s top two-way players.

The Heat’s 2019 first-round pick Tyler Herro, albeit out for at least the next two weeks because of a sprained ankle, is the starting shooting guard and entered Sunday as the team’s second-leading scorer behind Adebayo.

The Heat’s 2023 first-round pick Jaime Jaquez Jr. has immediately become an important part of the bench attack.

No Butler, no Herro, no Martin, no problem. Takeaways from Heat’s short-handed win over Hawks

But 2022 Heat first-round pick Nikola Jovic is still working to prove he deserves a spot in the rotation. Entering Sunday night’s matchup against the San Antonio Spurs at Frost Bank Center on the back end of the Heat’s road back-to-back set, Jovic had logged double-digit minutes only once and received five DNP-CDs (did not play, coach’s decision) through the Heat’s first nine games of the season.

“At this moment, I’m not in the rotation, which I have nothing against,” Jovic said. “It’s coach’s decision and I respect it. It’s on me to continue to work and show him what I can do.”

Jovic missed two games this week because of a non-COVID illness and returned to be available for Saturday night’s 117-109 road win over the Atlanta Hawks that moved the Heat to 2-0 on its four-game trip. But Jovic again did not play despite the Heat missing Jimmy Butler (personal reasons), Herro (sprained right ankle) and Caleb Martin (left knee tendinosis).

Instead, the Heat went with a bench rotation of Josh Richardson, Kevin Love, Dru Smith and Jamal Cain and a starting lineup of Kyle Lowry, Duncan Robinson, Jaquez, Haywood Highsmith and Adebayo.

“We feel comfortable enough with him,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said before Saturday’s victory in Atlanta when asked where Jovic stands. “He’s missed this past week. So he’s just getting his legs under him. He is feeling a little bit better and I think he’ll continue to feel a lot better as this trip goes on.

Even as a 20-year-old in his second NBA season, Jovic is taking a mature and professional approach to his situation. Jovic knows Spoelstra’s rotation is usually fluid and he could be needed at some point.

“It’s going to change a lot,” Jovic said of the Heat’s rotation. “There’s always someone – I hope nobody gets injured – but some players rest and stuff. So there will be certain times where I’ll probably be able to play. But the fact is that in the normal rotation, I’m not in it.

“It’s just on me to continue to work. These guys do a great job of developing players, and I think I’ve developed a lot since last year and I think I’ll be even better this year. My chances will come and I hope I’m going to be play good when it comes.”

In Jovic’s limited minutes so far during his first two appearances of the season, his intriguing combination of size and skill as a 6-foot-10 forward has flashed.

In a start for the short-handed Heat on the second night of a back-to-back set on Oct. 28, Jovic totaled eight points, four assists and a career-high 11 rebounds in 21 minutes during a road loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

In his second in-game opportunity of the season on Oct. 30, Jovic only played the final 7:23 but recorded five points and four rebounds while the Heat’s late comeback fell short in a road loss to the Milwaukee Bucks.

“He’s had a really productive five months this offseason and the preseason and training camp,” Spoelstra said of Jovic. “You can see that he’s grown. He’s a much different player than last year and that’s a credit to the work that he’s put in. Starting last year during the playoff run when nobody was paying attention. He was really working on preparing his body and conditioning and everything for the summer ahead.”

But Jovic’s defense continues to be a work in progress and one of the biggest reasons that he hasn’t yet earned a consistent role in the Heat’s rotation.

“Spo wants me to do different stuff,” Jovic said when asked about his defense. “Showing, dropping, everything basically. So I’m still in between. I’m not in the normal rotation, so I’m not even used to knowing exactly what things are. But I’m going to try to give my best to the team and that’s it.”

Jovic played in just 15 NBA games last season as a rookie, as he was sidelined by a back injury for most of the year. His final regular-season appearance as a rookie came on Dec. 28.

But Jovic is coming off a busy offseason that included weeks of summer league action with the Heat before taking part in weeks of competitive games in the FIBA Basketball World Cup with the Serbian national team.

“I feel great on both ends,” Jovic said. “Of course, last year I didn’t play that much and I’m still adapting to the game. But I feel really comfortable. I feel like I belong here.”

Jovic is still working to show he belongs in the Heat’s rotation.

BUTLER BACK, LOWRY OUT

Butler has re-joined the Heat in San Antonio and will be available for Sunday’s game against the Spurs after missing Saturday’s win in Atlanta because of personal reasons.

But the Heat will rest Lowry against the Spurs on the back end of the back-to-back in San Antonio. The other Heat players ruled out for Sunday’s game are Herro (sprained right ankle), Martin (left knee tendinosis) and RJ Hampton (G League).

The Spurs will be without Dominic Barlow (G League), Charles Bediako (G League), Sidy Cissoko (G League), Tre Jones (right hamstring tightness) and Sir’Jabari Rice (G League) against the Heat.

FACING WEMBANYAMA

Ahead of facing Spurs rookie phenom Victor Wembanyama for the first time on Sunday, Heat center Bam Adebayo offered his initial impression of the 7-foot-4 center out of France.

“I feel like he’s trying to still feel out his game,” Adebayo said of the No. 1 pick in this year’s draft. “I feel like he’s in a great situation with [Spurs coach] Gregg Popovich just because he’s had history with big men and he’s had guys be successful in his system.”

Wembanyama entered Sunday’s matchup against the Heat averaging 19.9 points, 8.6 rebounds, two assists, 1.1 steals and 2.6 blocks per game this season.

When asked if he’s ever faced somebody as tall as Wembanyama, Adebayo said: “No. Bol Bol, but that’s about it.”

Bol is listed at 7-foot-3, one inch shorter than Wembanyama.