Nikola Jovic is likely to miss the entirety of the 2024 Paris Olympics due to a fractured ankle joint

After a debut season marred by injuries with the Miami Heat, Nikola Jovic truly improved in his second season. In the 2022 NBA Draft, Miami had previously selected him with the 27th overall pick. In his second season, he became an almost full-time starter for head coach Erik Spoelstra after having similar issues with his play when in the starting lineup as a rookie.

 

It was anticipated that the 21-year-old would play a significant role for Serbia in the 2024 Summer Olympics. It doesn’t appear likely that he will take the court for Serbia or himself, unfortunately.

Jovic suffered an ankle joint fracture sometime in June, as EuroHoops.net has previously reported. Given that Jovic participated and started each of the five games in the Heat’s first-round series loss to the Boston Celtics, it had to have happened over the offseason. On May 1, that series was likewise finished.

In 2022, Jovic came in at number 27 overall. In 2022–23, the six-foot-ten Jovic faced difficulties during his rookie season in the NBA and had to miss a lot of time due to a back issue. Later on, he would only appear in 15 games for the Heat. The big forward averaged 13.6 minutes per game, 2.1 rebounds, 0.7 assists, and 5.5 points. Jovic had severe trouble making shots from beyond the arc; only eight of his 35 attempts (22.9%) were successful. Additionally, he was a member of the G League’s Sioux Falls Skyforce.

Jovic had considerably more confidence on the field last season and showed no signs of a sophomore slump. For 38 of his 46 games, Jovic was part of the starting lineup. He improved to 7.7 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 2.0 assists in 19.5 minutes per game on average. He made 39.9% of his three-point attempts, demonstrating far greater accuracy. He had turnovers and assists in equal measure as a rookie, but in 2023–2024, he had 90 assists to 42 turnovers. The Heat consider Jovic to be a key player for the team’s future after being quite impressed with his output. Jovic is a talented young player who is fascinating due to his size and diverse skill set.