“Here’s what the rotation is: Whatever it takes,” said Miami Heat‘s head coach Erik Spoelstra back in April. Quoting just like the superheroes in Avengers Endgame, he’s willing to adapt and make changes to the starting lineup, if he feels the necessity. With the Heat currently 3-5, Spoelstra made the decision to experiment now, to possibly find out any alternate ways through which they could come out on top. Unfortunately, maybe, he should’ve chosen a different opponent, anyone apart from Ant-Man and his troops!

Initially revealed by NBA reporter, Ira Winderman, the head coach had made some changes to the lineup for the Heat-Timberwolves game, in light of Jimmy Butler’s absence. Bam Adebayo, Kevin Love, Haywood Highsmith, Tyler Herro, and Terry Rozier were the starting five. They conducted a major experiment by adding Love instead of Nikola Jovic (not to be confused with Jokic).

Unfortunately, it didn’t seem to work out well for the head coach. After all, in his 13 minutes on the court, the 36-year-old power forward/center only made 6 points, combined with 6 rebounds and 2 assists. Meanwhile, once the team added the Serb to the rotation, he ended up making his first 8 points in 12 minutes. Later, the same score shot up to 10 points in 19 minutes.

Thanks to Tyler Herro and Nikola Jovic, Erik Spoelstra was able to pull out of a bad situation. With 3:05 minutes left in the 4th quarter, the Heat only trailed the Wolves by 3 points (87-90). However, the gap between Love and Jovic’s performances may have become noticeable to the viewers. As a result, many of them didn’t waste time to descend to social media to share their opinions.

“Bad coaching”: fans DO NOT take it easy on Erik Spoelstra after Nikola Jovic gamble!

A social media user did not waste time in calling out the veteran coach’s tactical tweak. He did so by stating, “Absolutely ridiculous the standards Spo holds his players to. Jovic gets benched but Rozier can do whatever he wants out there with no repercussions.”

During a recent press conference, reporters outright asked Erik Spoelstra about Jovic’s reduced minutes. To this query, he stated, “He (Jovic) knows what the deal is. There has to be a level of energy and effort… The game gets into double digits, you’re grasping for whatever… If something is not working, I’m paid to make decisions…” Given the fact that Nikola Jovic averaged 5.5 points in 15.1 minutes during the last 4 games, the player, however, wasn’t making a good case about why he should have more minutes.

But his performance was almost on par with that of Terry Rozier. That’s when comparing the latter’s 11 points pg. with an average playing time of 32 minutes this regular season. Earlier, Rozier made 7 points against the Phoenix Suns in 32 minutes. Therefore, the community has convinced themselves that reducing Nikola Jovic’s minutes may not have been the right thing.

A social media user used the starting lineup change to engage in a little experiment. They wrote, “Am i crazy for wanting to try jovic at pg???  Play like a shaun livingston role. Post up smaller guards. Length would bother opposing guards.”

According to a 2023 report by SI, the player currently playing under a 4-year, $11.5 million rookie contract can certainly adopt point guard duties. After all, his ball-handling skills are quite noticeable. He’s also credited with creating plays. But what works against him is his ability to create shots inside the 3-point line, since he possesses a shooting accuracy of only 35%. His 3ps are far worse at 25%, but his FTs have a 100% success rate. So, it would be a bit tough to imagine him as a point guard, though it won’t be impossible.

The shots on Erik Spoelstra continued. Another commenter wrote, “Bad coaching.” Well, though the coach won’t admit it to himself, he may started to have some sort of a realization during the final minutes of the game.

During the final 9 seconds, Nikola Jovic gained possession of the ball. Thanks to a layup, and a foul that he received after a collision with a rival player, the 21-year-old was able to deposit 3 points to allow the Heat to clinch a 95-94 lead. The Wolves couldn’t manage to make another successful shot in the remaining time, and Miami won the game by a 1-point margin. If Jovic somehow heard Erik Spoelstra’s previous remarks about him, then this was certainly a certified ‘and I took that personally’ moment for the player.

Another social media user came out to defend the power forward. He wrote “He punish Jovic when he not the problem”, accompanied by an ‘unamused face’ emoji. Despite his recent scores, Nikola Jovic still comes under the Top 6 highest average scorer this season.

Meanwhile, players like Alec Burks, who’ve only averaged 7.3 points in 3 games till now, are getting more minutes. The case against Kevin Love has already been made. After Jovic’s game-winning layup and foul shot, fans would certainly flock to make a case for him.

A frustrated person, however, seemed to have had enough of the rotation. That’s what may have caused him to write, “Jeez. Just end the season already.” With a 4-5 record, the Heat may not be ruled out yet. Therefore, the commenter should certainly have some faith!

Overall, the reactions were critical of Erik Spoelstra while remaining positive towards Nikola Jovic. Still being in the early stages of the season, no one can blame him for experimenting. If the recent events provide an indication, we shouldn’t rule out the Serbian for now.