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Nikola Jovic is expected to be out of action for a minimum of four weeks.
The Miami Heat confirmed on Tuesday afternoon that the 21-year-old Serbian forward has fractured the second metacarpal in his right hand. He will be fitted with a splint and will undergo a re-evaluation in four weeks.
Jovic sustained the injury during the latest NBA Sundays matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks at Fiserv Forum.
With the recovery timeline extending to at least a month, Jovic will miss a number of games, and depending on his healing process, there is a possibility he may not return for the rest of the 2024-25 regular season.
In his third season in the NBA, Jovic has played in 46 games, achieving a career-best average of 10.7 points per game, along with 3.9 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.3 blocks. His participation includes ten games as a starter.
Head coach Erik Spoelstra will need to delve deeper into the player rotation as the team looks to improve their current record of 26-30, which places them ninth in the Eastern Conference standings, 5.5 games clear of the Play-In tournament zone, and five games short of the top six seeds qualifying for the 2025 Playoffs.
Jovic entered the NBA as the 27th overall pick in the 2022 draft. In addition to joining the North American league, he graduated from junior to senior status with the Serbian national team, contributing to their silver medal at the FIBA World Cup 2023 and bronze medal at the 2024 Olympic Games.
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