Is Nikola Jovic Or Jaime Jaquez Best Fit As Miami Heat's Fifth Starter?

Miguel Mike Medina | Oct 4, 2024

Aug 3, 2024; Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France; Serbia power forward Nikola Jovic (5) dunks in the third quarter against South Sudan during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Stade Pierre-Mauroy. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-Imagn Images / John David Mercer-Imagn Images

The Miami Heat's core four—Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, Terry Rozier, and Tyler Herro—are intact in the starting lineup.

The fifth starter is up for grabs between Nikola Jovic and Jamie Jaquez.

Here's the case for each:

Nikola Jovic 

The 6-foot-10, 209-pound Jovic is improving each season. The upside about size. He has the potential of a good rim protector. 

He’s not a shot blocker, and his rebounding needs to improve. The Heat are developing him as a strong power forward. 

Moving his feet quicker when he’s on defense is crucial. Why? It could cause problems when he faces speedy point guards like Jalen Brunson or Tyrese Maxey. 

Teams will take advantage of this weakness by constantly driving to the basket. 

Jaime Jaquez Jr

The 6-foot-6 forward is entering his second season after an impressive rookie season. An issue with Jaquez early in his career is he streaky at time from the 3-point line. He shot 32 percent last season. 

The good news is he’s working on it. He has to take advantage of those open shots. Jaquez needs to shoot 35 percent or better to have a shot to earn a spot in the starting lineup. We need to see how he performs during the preseason. 

On the other hand, coming off the bench and being a leader for the second unit is a good option. That may sound like asking too much for a second-year player. 

We have to take into consideration he played four years at UCLA. Last year Jaquez didn’t look like a rookie playing on the court. He’s disciplined and fearless. 

Jovic is a better three-point shooter.

Jaquez is a better playmaker, two-way player and getting to the basket.

Both players have to clean a variety of parts of their game. 

Final analysis: Jovic is the best choice regarding who better complements Adebayo, Butler, Rozier, and Herro in the starting unit. 

Miguel Mike Medina is a contributor to Miami Heat On SI. He can be reached at medinamiguelmike@gmail.com

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