The Miami Heat lost to the Phoenix Suns Wednesday night, 115-112, which was highlighted by Jimmy Butler regretting his decision not to take the final shot of the game to potentially take it into overtime. While the Heat have struggled in the third quarter in many areas, another aspect of the loss to the Suns was the involvement of star Nikola Jovic.
Jovic has been in the starting lineup since the second half of last season, where he was in the power forward spot in the front court alongside Bam Adebayo. While he was there Wednesday night, he would not start the second half as Erik Spoelstra opted for Haywood Highsmith, who had an impressive game against the Suns.
The Heat star has been looking to gain chemistry with the starters, but it was not on display as he played only five minutes, scoring four points and collecting only one rebound. Jovic would admit he did not play great and was “not happy” with his performance since the start of the season, which resulted in the lack of playing time, according to Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald.
“I won’t say I was great,” Jovic said. “I mean, you got to play good defense. And the shots you get, you got to make them, especially with that first unit. Even if though maybe those are not the shots that you want to take, you have to take them. I didn’t make a lot of them. I’m for sure not happy. I know I’m a lot better than that.”
Heat’s Erik Spoelstra on the decision to bench Nikola Jovic in second half
Highsmith had started at Jovic’s spot before last season, where, besides giving the team a defensive stalwart, he has added to his offensive game, especially from three-point range. The defense was especially vital against Phoenix, where he was tasked with defending star Kevin Durant, an aspect that Jovic said he wasn’t shocked by the move.
“I wouldn’t say I was surprised,” Jovic said. “Lately, the first unit has been struggling a little bit and I guess coach was trying to find the right matchups. H did a good job against KD in the first half. Coach told me before we went out that he’s going to play him and just stay ready.”
So far this season, Jovic had been averaging 7.4 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game while shooting 41.3 percent from the field and 30.8 percent from three-point range through seven games.
The Heat signed Highsmith to a $11 million deal lasting two years this offseason as he is considered the Swiss army knife of the team. Spoelstra explained the decision to bench Jovic in the second half for Highsmith, where he discussed the defensive matchups, especially with how Adebayo would defend Jusuf Nurkic.
“I wanted to keep Bam on [Jusuf Nurkic], to keep him comfortable under the rim,” Spoelstra said. “And H [Highsmith] had given us good minutes in that first half, and we were looking to do something just to change the energy of these third quarters. It had nothing to do with Niko.”
Heat’s Erik Spoelstra on whether the decision is a permanent one
The Heat forward also deserved those minutes as, coming off the bench, he scored 19 points, shooting seven of eight from the field, including two of three from beyond the arch. He would also collect seven rebounds and two steals as when asked if Highsmith in the starting lineup is a development going forward, Spoelstra would not answer as it is a “game to game” basis.
“I’m not even thinking about that right now,” Spoelstra said when asked about Highsmith starting in place of Jovic. “Look, this is quarter to quarter, game to game. Nothing is in concrete where we are right now.”
The chemistry of the Heat’s starting lineup was a huge narrative going into the season, which could be changed if Spoelstra decided to go with Highsmith instead of Jovic, but time will tell if a decision is made on that front. However, Highsmith has always stayed ready to hear his name called and produce, as there were even some games to start the season where he didn’t log any minutes.
“I’m, in a sense, used to this,” Highsmith said. “Some games, I might not be in the rotation or I might be in the rotation. I’m always going to be ready no matter what.”
Heat’s Nikola Jovic hopes to be in the starting lineup again
There is no doubt Highsmith adds a lot since the Heat have been struggling in the third quarters of games this season as his teammates see his worth as well, like Jimmy Butler and Tyler Herro via The Miami Herald.
“He was guarding,” Butler said. “[Durant] hit some tough shots. Then H was also being aggressive in making shots and making the right play, putting the ball on the floor and passing the ball. The more confidence he plays with, the more it’s going to look better for everybody.”
“Just energy and effort, being able to guard,” Herro said. “We needed someone to guard KD [Durant].”
It remains to be seen about Jovic’s role with the Heat as he does bring more size to the starting lineup along with Adebayo as he also provides a threat from deep on offense. The 21-year-old would say to the media after the game that he is hopeful to be back in the starting lineup as he believes his skillset helps the unit.
“I really hope so because I really think I’m trying to help the first unit,” Jovic said. “But you never know. It is not an easy job. … I really hope I’m back. If I’m not, there will be more chances. Last year was the same type of thing, so I know I’ll be back.”
At any rate, the first chance to see if a change will be made is Friday night when Miami takes on their 2023 NBA Finals opponent in the Denver Nuggets, in the midst of a tough six-game road trip. The schedule does not get any easier as they then face the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday night.
