Between the absence of All-Star guard Tyler Herro's absence and the Miami Heat's general lack of playmakers, it might be fair to wonder whether Nikola Jovic's new starting role may have been borne out of necessity. While the Heat are clearly fans of the young forward, head coach Erik Spoelstra still may have felt this was a move he had to make to give his group a shot at offensive competency.
At least, that's how the promotion may have appeared to those on the outside. As Spoelstra clarified ahead of Jovic's second consecutive start, though, this decision "has nothing to do with Tyler being out" and instead simply reflected the fact that "Niko has played well.