Miami Heat forward Nikola Jovic is still just 20 years old and only in his second NBA season, but self-awareness is already a strength of his.

First, Jovic is not taking this stretch of consistent playing time for granted. After a back injury sidelined him for a large chunk of his rookie season and after logging just 48 total minutes of playing time during four appearances in the Heat’s first 30 games this season, he entered Sunday night’s matchup against the visiting Charlotte Hornets with appearances in each of the last eight games and starts in each of the last five games as the team deals with injuries to multiple rotation players.

 

“It’s really important for me. I haven’t played a lot this season,” Jovic said. “This stretch is probably one of the longest stretches I’ve played in these two years.”

Miami Heat forward Nikola Jovic is still just 20 years old and only in his second NBA season, but self-awareness is already a strength of his.

First, Jovic is not taking this stretch of consistent playing time for granted. After a back injury sidelined him for a large chunk of his rookie season and after logging just 48 total minutes of playing time during four appearances in the Heat’s first 30 games this season, he entered Sunday night’s matchup against the visiting Charlotte Hornets with appearances in each of the last eight games and starts in each of the last five games as the team deals with injuries to multiple rotation players.

“It’s really important for me. I haven’t played a lot this season,” Jovic said. “This stretch is probably one of the longest stretches I’ve played in these two years.”

Second, Jovic knows what he’s already good at and how he can help the Heat at this early stage of his NBA career. That’s by pushing the pace in the open court and creating for others with his passing ability, as Jovic entered Sunday with the second-most potential assists (any pass to a teammate who shoots within one dribble of receiving the ball) on the team in the last three games (20) behind only Bam Adebayo’s 25.

“That’s one of my strengths,” Jovic said of pushing the pace for the Heat. “The coaches see that and the coaches let me do it. We have a lot of guys out right now, so I need to step up and that’s one of the things I’m good at and that’s what they want me to do.

“Right now offensively, I think I’m helping other guys and that’s what I’m here for.

” Third, Jovic knows where he still needs to improve to earn a consistent spot in the Heat’s rotation even when the roster is healthy — on the defensive end. While Jovic has used his 6-foot-10 frame to his advantage lately to block three shots in the last three games, he’s still being hunted on the defensive end when he’s on the court as the opponent tries to create matchup advantages.

“Defensively, I still need a lot of work. I feel like I’ve improved a lot because I’m working on it,” Jovic said. “But I still feel like I’m not there. As someone who is 6-foot-10, I think I can do a lot more. Those things are going to keep me on the court and those are the things that [coach Erik Spoelstra] talks about and those are things that are important.”

Jovic needs to find a way to reduce the number of fouls he’s being called for on the defensive end, entering Sunday with a team-high 4.9 personal fouls committed per 36 minutes this season.

“The fouls, especially the cheap ones,” said Jovic, who the Heat drafted with the 27th overall pick out of Serbia last year. “You do everything perfect and then at the end of the day, they start pivoting and you make a cheap foul. That’s what you don’t want to do.”

But overall, Jovic has flashed his growth and intriguing combination of size and skill while also showing there’s still plenty of room for improvement during his run of consistent playing time.

During his string of five straight starts leading up to Sunday’s game against the Hornets, Jovic averaged 8.6 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game while shooting 38.5 percent from the field and 9 of 22 (40.9 percent) from three-point range. While playing alongside Adebayo in the frontcourt, the Heat has outscored opponents by 13.2 points per 100 possessions during the 95 minutes that Adebayo and Jovic have played together during this five-game stretch.

“It’s been well-earned and it’s been incremental progress going all the way back to summer league,” Spoelstra said when asked about Jovic’s opportunity to play extended minutes while the Heat continues to deal with injury issues. “Preparing in June, did the summer league and then went right to the World Cup. He had a great experience there, earned a starting spot and then really worked on his player development here. He’s just made a lot of progress and his confidence is growing, as you can see. He adds a different dimension to our team in terms of skill and size, so we’ll just continue to build on that.”

But as the Heat gets healthier and begins to get players back from injury, Jovic is self aware enough to realize he may again find himself out of the rotation soon.

“We have one of the best players in the league in Jimmy [Butler], one of the best backups in Caleb [Martin],” Jovic said. “How can I expect when they come back for me to play heavy minutes? That’s not realistic. I want to keep being realistic. That’s how I like it and that’s how I like coach to talk to me. Be real with me on what’s going to happen. I know when they come back, I’ll probably not play or play some role minutes. I’m cool with it. As long as when they’re out, when I get a chance, I need to show what I can do. And that’s it.”

That’s exactly what Jovic has done over the last few weeks.

“People forget he’s only 20 years old, you know what I’m saying,” Heat guard Josh Richardson said. “I think he has kind of a special ability about him, to handle and really get in space. He has good vision, especially being a guy who’s 6-10. I just feel like it’s starting to bloom a little bit and he’s getting a little more comfortable.”

INJURY REPORT

The Heat ruled out Dru Smith (right knee surgery), RJ Hampton (G League), Cole Swider (G League) and Jamal Cain (G League) for Sunday’s matchup against the Hornets.

Butler (right toe MP joint sprain) is listed as doubtful.

Tyler Herro (right shoulder strain) and Kevin Love (left knee contusion) are listed as questionable.

Kyle Lowry (left hand sprain) is listed as probable.

The Hornets ruled out Amari Bailey (G League), Gordon Haywood (left calf) and Mark Williams (lower back) for Sunday’s game in Miami. Also, Brandon Williams (lower back) and PJ Washington (right foot) are doubtful, while Cody Martin (groin) and Frank Ntilikina (left tibia) are questionable.