Nikola Jović found his rhythm, and the Heat found their footing

Nikola Jović did not come back trying to prove anything. That, more than the box scores, has defined his last three games for the Miami Heat, which changed the narrative on his season.

“I’m not expecting myself to go out and score 20 every night,” Jović said following his team's first win following 11 consecutive regular season losses against the Denver Nuggets on Monday. “I’m going to try to help this team win.”

Since returning from an arm injury, that approach has coincided with something Miami (18-15) had been missing: rhythm. The Heat have won three straight games after lackadaisically watching their strong 14-7 start to the season come apart like a house of cards, and Jović’s presence has quietly reshaped how those minutes feel. The ball is moving quicker, the floor is spaced wider, and possessions are ending with purpose instead of hesitation.

Nikola Jovic's last 3 games since return from injury:

10 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 3-14 FGs
19 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists, 7-14 FGs
22 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, 7-12 FGs

Finally putting it together. pic.twitter.com/cyGpcP7Ziw
— Naveen Ganglani (@naveenganglani) December 30, 2025

“Energy is finding me,” Jović said. “The ball is coming to me. I’m getting open shots. It’s up to me to make them.”

For much of the season, consistency eluded Jović. Jović himself missed time just as Miami was searching for stability with its rotation. When he returned, the production followed immediately. Against Indiana, he posted 19 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists off the bench following 10 points, seven rebounds, and four assists against Atlanta the night before. Then came Miami’s offensive explosion against Denver, a 147-point performance in which Jović scored 22 and helped fuel one of the most productive bench performances of the season.

“I feel good. I feel the same way I did two weeks ago,” Jović said. “I know I can play. I never questioned that. I just need to show up every day and show I’m worth it.”

He may not have questionned his ability to perform on the court, but given his performances early into the Heat's campaign, it was fair to wonder if Miami made a mistake awarding him with a four-year, $62.4 million extension. Now, the narrative is changing.

That daily urgency has not gone unnoticed. On a roster where minutes are earned quickly and lost just as fast, Jović understands the margin.

“You have to show them every night you can play,” he said. “Because if you mess up two nights in a row, you’re probably not going to go back in the game.”

What makes Jović’s recent stretch impactful is not just the scoring. It is how his skill set fits what the Heat want to do when they are at their best. At 6-foot-10, he gives Miami size without sacrificing speed. He runs the floor relentlessly, and in transition, he creates advantages that most "fives" cannot.

“We run the floor a lot,” Jović said. “I don’t think there’s a single center in the league that can catch up with me when we talk about the position. It for sure helps our team. We move the ball well. It’s easy to play the five when I’m not really playing the five.”

In practice, that means Jović functions less like a traditional big and more like a connector. He can push the pace off a rebound, hit shooters early, or attack a rotating defense before it sets. That versatility has helped unlock Miami’s bench, which ranks third in the NBA in scoring at 42.3 points per game this season. Over the last three wins, the Heat bench has scored 161 total points, the most in the league since Christmas Day.

“Pick, pop, they close out, he can drive, he can shoot,” teammate Norman Powell said. “It’s really big for us. We’re a totally different team when he’s locked in and aggressive.”

Powell, whose all-star campaign continued with a 26-point outing against Denver, has been vocal with Jović, pushing him to lean into his physical tools and stop playing small.

“I’m always on him, like, ‘You’re 6-foot-10. Play like you’re 6-foot-10,’” Powell said. “When he doesn’t hesitate, he’s a totally different basketball player, and we need that. His skill set is so unique. Handling the ball, pushing the pace, getting into the paint, finding guys, shooting the three. Even defensively, his length and height let him be disruptive.”

That aggressiveness has shown up in the numbers. Since his return, the 22-year-old Jovic has hit nine of his 22 three-point attempts (41%), a noticeable improvement from the 28.3 percent he shot before the injury. While his season-long shooting profile remains uneven, his willingness to step into shots has helped keep defenses honest. When defenders cut off his initial drive, he has shown glimpses of quickness to reset and attack again, using his size to get closer to the rim rather than settling.

Powell believes the change is mental as much as physical.

“He’s more serious in terms of being locked in and doing his job every night,” Powell said. “Even when he makes a mistake, he’s getting over it quickly and not letting it turn into two or three more... I always joke with him, leave that other Nico in the past. This is the one we need.”

Jović credits that shift to perspective and support.

“I’ll give credit to my family who came here and helped me get back on track,” he said. “When you have people who love you around you, it helps. For me, it was about stopping looking at basketball as a hobby and starting to look at it as a profession.”

That approach has changed how he shows up.

“I come in every day with a different mindset now,” Jović said. “And it has to stay that way.”

For Miami, the timing matters. With injuries (Tyler Herro: foot; Pelle Larsson: ankle) still affecting the rotation, Jović’s ability to play minutes at center without slowing the game down has allowed the Heat to lean back into quick, early offense. Their 147 points against the Denver Nuggets marked a season high and the third-highest scoring game in franchise history, a reflection of how effective they can be when pace and ball movement align. In just 33 games for the 2025-2026 campaign, Miami has cracked at least 140 points seven times already. That's remarkable when you consider how inept they were offensively for multiple stretches last season.

Bam Adebayo sees the growth as part of a larger reset.

“Sometimes you have to change your point of view so you can get realigned,” Adebayo said. “He’s realigned, obviously. He’s playing well, and we want him to keep playing like that.”

The Heat are not asking Jović to be something he is not. They are asking him to be consistent, aggressive, and present. Over the last three games, that has been enough to change the feel of their bench minutes and the outcome of games.

Jović is not chasing numbers. He is chasing trust. Right now, both are coming.