This was supposed to be a coming-of-age season fourth-year Miami Heat forward Nikola Jovic. We said it. A dialed-in analyst and former executive said it. Even the Heat themselves metaphorically said it, fueling all of the buzz by handing him a four-year, $62.4 million extension and starting him (for the opener) over prized-prospect center Kel'el Ware.
Jovic's leap year hasn't materialized, though. Not yet, anyway. As the stat sheet sees it, he's actually regressing—not elevating. His shot has gone haywire, his turnovers have piled up, and he has frankly looked lost (or at least unsure of himself) within Miami's revamped offense.