Nikola Jovic ‘learning a lot’ this summer, but held out of Heat’s loss to Hawks in Las Vegas

Nikola Jovic’s summer learning experience was put on pause for at least one game.

Because of a quad contusion, the Miami Heat’s Serbian rookie forward was held out of Tuesday night’s 95-88 loss to the Atlanta Hawks on UNLV’s campus as part of Las Vegas Summer League. The Heat fell to 1-1 in Las Vegas and now holds a 2-3 overall summer league record, including the California Classic.

The Heat is hopeful Jovic will be able to return at some point before the end of its five-game schedule in Las Vegas, which continues on Wednesday against the Philadelphia 76ers’ summer squad (9 p.m., ESPN 2) at Cox Pavilion on the second night of a back-to-back.

Jovic was among a group of players who were held out, with the Heat expected to handle the back-to-back like a split squad situation with some getting extended minutes on Tuesday and others playing more minutes on Wednesday. In addition to Jovic, center Omer Yurtseven did not play against the Hawks because of a quad issue that has kept him out of the Heat’s first two games in Las Vegas and forward Haywood Highsmith also sat out for rest purposes on the front end of the back-to-back.

It was two-way contract guard Javonte Smart who led the Heat in scoring Tuesday, finishing with 19 points on 5-of-14 shooting from the field. Guard Kyle Allman Jr., who is on a summer contract with the Heat, contributed 14 points.

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Jovic, who was drafted by Miami with the 27th overall pick last month, suffered his injury when he took a knee to the quad during Saturday’s win over the Boston Celtics to open the Heat’s Las Vegas Summer League run. Heat assistant coach and summer league head coach Malik Allen said following Tuesday’s loss that he was still unsure whether Jovic and Yurtseven would be able to play in Wednesday’s game.

“As far as I know, it’s a day-to-day thing,” Allen said when asked about Jovic and Yurtseven’s status. “I just talked to Nik for a couple minutes earlier. He said he feels a lot better. So we’re just taking it day by day.”

The past few weeks have been a whirlwind for Jovic, who turned 19 on June 9 and played in the Serbian league last season.

Jovic was drafted by the Heat on June 23, left the following week for San Francisco to begin practicing with the summer league team, played in his first summer league game on July 2 at the California Classic, impressed with a performance that included 25 points and nine rebounds in a summer win over the Golden State Warriors on July 5, and then went scoreless and sustained a quad injury in Saturday’s victory over the Celtics in Las Vegas.

“I’m just learning a lot,” Jovic said. “And that’s the thing I’m excited about the most. Everything is new to me. I’ll learn a lot. I think I’m getting more and more experienced. And I think I’ll play better and better. I just need time. Time is, right now, the thing I require.”

Through the ups and downs of Jovic’s first four summer league games with the Heat, he has averaged 8.5 points on 13-of-31 (41.9 percent) shooting from the field and 6-of-14 (42.9 percent) shooting on threes and five rebounds per game.

The move to the NBA has already required Jovic to make a major adjustment, as the Heat is using him as a power forward who is often operating as a screener and in an off-ball role. He played as a perimeter player and had the ball in his hands a lot more to create for himself and others in Europe.

“I’m still learning,” Jovic said. “I’ll find myself better and better. I know I can play good, even off the ball. I just need a little time.”

During the pre-draft process, the Heat’s evaluators were intrigued by Jovic’s ball-handling, passing ability and shooting all while being listed at 6-11 and 223 pounds. He has the upside to be an offensive weapon with his combination of skills and size.

But as Jovic noted, he needs time. Time to adjust to new offensive role and grow into an NBA-level defender, even as the Heat is clearly in win-now mode.

“It’s just adjusting to the speed and physicality of the game. But he’ll get there,” Allen said. “This is going to be a process with him. It’s not going to come right away. He has to be steady.”

▪ Among those in attendance for the Heat’s summer league loss to the Hawks in Las Vegas were Heat coach Erik Spoelstra, Heat forward Caleb Martin, Heat general manager Andy Elisburg, Heat assistant general manager Adam Simon and Miami Hurricanes basketball coach Jim Larranaga.