MIAMI — The Nikola Jovic factor is real. The question is whether Nikola Jovic is.

Having teased for these four seasons since being selected in the first round in 2022, the forward out of Serbia has intrigued with his package of size and savvy, having excelled with that combination on his national team alongside Monday night foe Nikola Jokic.

It was after the Heat played Jokic’s Denver Nuggets in November, when Jokic said of Jovic, “I think he’s a good defender. He can defend multiple positions. Offensively, he’s actually a really good post-up player. That’s my opinion, because we used him on the national team as a post-up player and it was working good for us because of his size.”

The problem for Jovic, beyond a seeming never-ending series of injuries and absences, is that is not how the Heat have been utilizing him, especially with their “wheel” offense this season that has minimized post-ups and pick-and-roll play.

Instead, it is an approach that prioritizes straight-line drives, with finishes on such plays not necessarily Jovic’s strong suit.

But there also is the pace factor, and that is where Jovic has gotten up to speed, including his 19-point contribution in Saturday night’s 142-116 victory over Indiana, when the Heat outscored the Pacers by 33 in Jovic’s 24:35.

Following that game, coach Erik Spoelstra chose Jovic to bring the team together in the locker room.

“Our pace looks different when this guy was playing,” Spoelstra said to his players.

Said Jovic in response to his teammates, “Thank you guys. Thank you guys for letting me be me.”

Moments later, Spoelstra expanded on what the best version of Jovic can mean for his roster.

“We felt this all along,” Spoelstra said of the positive Jovic vibes. “It’s just been an uneven start to this season, for whatever reason. It doesn’t matter, we’re here. And we know how important he can be and how different we can look when he’s playing that style of basketball.”

There is little doubt Jovic energizes.

But it is the finishing touches that have frustrated, getting into the paint and then getting it all somehow twisted up.

“He definitely has to clear up some of the footwork, turnovers,” Spoelstra said. “Footwork, he’s got to work on that, clean that up. But I want him being aggressive, particularly in transition. That gets us out to a different place.”

While the foot fault has flustered his coach at times, it has been the inconsistency with the shooting stroke that has flummoxed Jovic at other times.

Going into Monday night’s game against the Nuggets at Kaseya Center, Jovic entered the week at .384 from the field and .284 on 3-pointers.

“When he’s getting rebounds, pushing the floor, he brings just a whole new dynamic to our team, that really just fits so well with us and how this team wants to play,” teammate Jaime Jaquez Jr. said. “And I think it plays to his advantages.

“And something I told him, ‘Man, just let it fly, man. No one cares. Just shoot the ball.’ And he’s a great shooter. I shoot with him every day. I know this guy can shoot. So, I just tell him, ‘Let it fly.’ And once he lets it fly, he lets everything else go, he’s an incredible player.”

Prior to returning to the rotation in Friday night’s road victory over the Atlanta Hawks, Jovic had missed eight of the previous 16 games due to injury.

Now, amid the dog days of the season, his energy has been embraced.

“Niko is 6-10 and he’s pushing the pace like a point guard. So it’s just fun to play with all those guys,” forward Andrew Wiggins said. “We all know what he can do and what he’s capable of.”

Having joined the Heat the season after Jovic was drafted, Jaquez, 24, said it is important not to lose sight of Jovic’s youth.

“I mean, I think people forget how young he still is,” Jaquez said, with Jovic turning 22 in June.  “He’s still got so much to grow and learn. And he’s been through so many highs, so many lows. We have his back through it all.”