Nikola Jovic’s broken hand will require adjustments to the Miami Heat’s rotation: ‘I really feel for Niko’
As the Miami Heat navigates a tough stretch in its season, the team now faces the challenge of losing a key rotation player for a significant period.
Third-year forward Nikola Jovic was unable to play in the second half of Sunday night’s 120-113 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks at Fiserv Forum after an X-ray at halftime confirmed a fractured second metacarpal in his right hand.
“I really feel for Niko,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said following the team’s fifth loss in six games, ahead of Monday’s matchup against the Atlanta Hawks at State Farm Arena (7:30 p.m., FanDuel Sports Network Sun), with the Heat holding a 26-29 record.
Since Jovic injured his shooting hand, he is expected to miss an extended period, though the Heat has not provided a specific recovery timeline. With just seven weeks remaining in the regular season, much will depend on whether surgery is required.
A similar injury sidelined Heat guard Tyler Herro in Game 1 of the team’s 2023 first-round playoff series against the Bucks, causing him to miss the rest of Miami’s playoff run, which ended in the NBA Finals two months later.
For now, Jovic has traveled with the team to Atlanta, though he won’t play in Monday’s game. After the conclusion of the Heat’s three-game road trip, he will return to Miami with the team and be evaluated by a specialist on Tuesday.
“I feel for Niko,” Spoelstra reiterated. “I know how much he has put into this. He’s had a couple injuries previously. This has nothing to do with it. He’s not snakebitten or anything like that. He actually was playing with some force tonight. I thought he got hit on the leg, he kept on holding his leg. And I was shocked by the prognosis on it. But we’ll see how long it will take and in the meantime other guys will have to step up.”
Jovic, 21, revealed that he sustained the injury early in Sunday’s game while coming off the bench and colliding with Bucks forward Kyle Kuzma. Despite the setback, he still managed to contribute seven points on 3-of-4 shooting, including 1-of-2 from three-point range, along with two rebounds in 15 first-half minutes before being ruled out.
“I wouldn’t say I was shocked because it kind of got swollen quickly during the game,” Jovic said about learning at halftime that he had broken his hand. “I just didn’t want to come out because we were doing good. So, yeah, I can say that I probably expected that.”
When asked about a possible recovery timeline, Jovic admitted, “I got no idea, really.”
His injury interrupts one of the most consistent stretches of his young NBA career.
After beginning the season as a starter, Jovic became an essential part of Miami’s bench rotation. Sunday marked his 31st consecutive game logging double-digit minutes, despite missing the second half.
This season, Jovic is averaging career-highs in points (10.7 per game), assists (2.8), and minutes (25.1). At 6-foot-10, he has added size to the Heat’s lineup while shooting 37.1 percent from three on 4.6 attempts per game, helping to space the floor.
“It’s tough,” Jovic admitted. “I’ve been through some tough injuries before. My mom always says, ‘Some things just happen for a reason.’ Who knows why this happened today. Yeah, I’ll figure it out. This team needs everybody right now. Other guys will step up and show what they can do with playing time. So I’m not worried at all about the team, they will for sure do good.”
To fill Jovic’s spot in the rotation, the Heat could turn to Kyle Anderson, Haywood Highsmith, or Jaime Jaquez Jr.
“Our power rotation, we do have some depth there,” Spoelstra said. “Kyle will be able to give us some good minutes, Jaime will be able to step up and play. So we’ll have to figure it out. But we have the depth to be able to manage this.”
Anderson (6-9, 230 pounds) took Jovic’s minutes in the second half of Sunday’s loss. He recently joined the Heat as part of the Jimmy Butler trade on Feb. 6 but brings experience from 11 NBA seasons with five different teams.
“100 percent,” Anderson said when asked if he could help fill Jovic’s role. “He’s obviously been playing at a real high level. I think I can bring some winning habits to the team and get going if I need to.”
Highsmith (6-5, 220 pounds) and Jaquez (6-6, 225 pounds) have been in Miami’s rotation for most of the season but recently found themselves out of it.
Entering Monday’s game, Jaquez had been a DNP-CD (did not play, coach’s decision) in three of the past four games, while Highsmith had four in the last five games. This marked the first three healthy scratches of Jaquez’s NBA career since Miami drafted him in the first round in 2023, while Highsmith had played in 46 straight games before his recent absences.
“It’s a struggle,” Jaquez said about falling out of the rotation. “But it’s a part of the game. I’ve just tried to stay positive, understand that coach, he’s got a difficult job. It’s frustrating as a player. You obviously want to get in, help your team. But there are other ways you can help your team. Just got to continue to stay positive, give advice on what you’re seeing, still staying engaged.”
Jovic’s injury now provides an opportunity for Jaquez and others who had been on the bench to step up.
“I never want to see anybody go down, especially a guy like Niko, probably the closest of the guys to me,” Jaquez said. “But that’s just the name of the game. One guy goes down, someone has got to step up.”
Jovic’s absence is a disappointment for the Heat, particularly as he had recently secured a stable role and played crucial minutes in the fourth quarter.
“You lose a guy like that, young guy, ambitious, trying to make something of himself in this league, and we want that for him,” Heat captain and center Bam Adebayo said. “For him, I think it’s just a minor setback for a major comeback. When we get him back, we’ll be happy to see him in the lineup.”
ANOTHER MILESTONE NIGHT FOR BAM
With his sixth rebound on Sunday against the Bucks, Adebayo surpassed Alonzo Mourning to become the second-leading rebounder in Heat history with 4,809 rebounds. Udonis Haslem remains the franchise’s all-time leader with 5,791 rebounds.
“UD knows I’m chasing the record,” Adebayo said with a grin. “We ain’t got to say anything about it. But it’s good to see it actually happen. Like I said coming into the league, I want to be top two if not one in every category.”
Just days earlier, Adebayo tied Rony Seikaly’s Heat record for most career double-doubles with his 221st during Miami’s win over the Toronto Raptors.
At his current pace, Adebayo and Dwyane Wade could eventually rank No. 1 and No. 2 in several all-time Heat categories, including two-point field goals, free throws, assists, steals, and points. Adebayo is also on track to surpass Haslem as the Heat’s all-time leading rebounder within the next two seasons.
