Miami Heat
Breakout candidate: Nikola Jovic
After an offseason to forget, the defending Eastern Conference champions must figure out how to calibrate the ship as the season begins. It won’t be easy for the Miami Heat, especially after losing Gabe Vincent and Max Strus, but if there’s any franchise that will be able to put the offseason in the past, it’s this one. If the Heat is going to remain competitive in the East this season, even after the additions made by the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks, you’d have to imagine that a surprise breakout candidate will have to arise.
One candidate for being that player for the Heat this season is Nikola Jovic, a second-year versatile forward who showed some positive signs during his time playing for Serbia in the FIBA World Cup. Jovic didn’t play much for the Heat last season but the hope is that he can be that long-term stretch-4 that the team has been searching for to pair with Bam Adebayo.
It would help the Heat immensely if began to take those steps this season. He won’t begin the season as the starter but it’s not that far-fetched that he could eventually win that full-time role.