Heat forward Nikola Jovic fractured the second metacarpal on his right hand in the first half of an eventual 120-113 loss to Milwaukee on Sunday, the team announced (Twitter link).
Jovic finished the game with seven points on 3-of-4 shooting from the field in 15 minutes of action off the bench.
A recovery timeline for Jovic has yet to be established. The third-year pro is in the midst of his best NBA season yet. Through 46 games, he’s averaging 10.7 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 0.8 steals a night. The 21-year-old is logging shooting splits of .456/.371/.828.
In the third frame, head coach Erik Spoelstra inserted veteran forward Kyle Anderson into his rotation in place of Jovic.
Ahead of the season, Miami picked up Jovic’s $4.45MM team option for the fourth and final year of his rookie-scale deal, which will keep him under team control through 2025/26. The 6’10” forward’s growth thus far is one of the few things that’s gone right for the Heat this year.
Sunday’s defeat to Milwaukee marked the Heat’s seventh loss across its last 10 games. Since Miami traded six-time All-Star Jimmy Butler to the Warriors as part of a five-team blockbuster deal, the Heat have gone just 1-5. Overall, the club has fallen to an underwhelming 26-29 record on the season, but remains in the thick of the conference’s play-in tournament picture.
Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel writes that a potential extended absence for Jovic could have significant ripple effects for Miami this year. Spoelstra has been bringing in Jovic and wing Duncan Robinson in tandem as his first options off the bench. Winderman observes that forward Jaime Jaquez Jr., who did not play against Milwaukee, would be a candidate to see more run with Jovic out.
Heat need everyone. This is not good.
That’s a real blow – since the calendar flipped to 2025, he’s been shooting .471/.388/.798 and looking very comfortable as a playmaker.
Can’t even have relative health 1 time in 12 years
Was I the only one who quickly read that the 3-time MVP fracture his hand? Big scare, such similar names
21 yr old stud
I’m beginning to think SPO isn’t such a great coach. On the first night of a back-to-back, Herro and Wiggins play 40 minutes while Jacquez sits on the bench. The results in the 4th quarter showed they were tired. It wouldn’t surprise me if Tyler doesn’t soon join the DL. Time management is critical.
Wow lol