Amid report of fractured ankle, Heat still labeling Nikola Jovic’s injury as sprain. The latest

Despite reports from European media outlets that Miami Heat forward Nikola Jovic has a fractured ankle and will likely miss the Olympics this summer for Serbia, the Heat’s medical staff continues to label the injury as a sprained left ankle and fractured toe.

Jovic was injured last month during an on-court drill at Kaseya Center, prompting concern when he was photographed in a walking boot on his left foot. However, the injury has improved and the Heat expects Jovic to be ready and available for the start of training camp on Oct. 1, according to a league source.

But Jovic has not yet been medically cleared by the Heat to take part in the Olympics, which begin later this month. While the Heat has not yet ruled out the possibility of clearing Jovic ahead of the Olympics, according to a league source, Serbia’s national federation will make the formal decision on his status for the competition even if he’s cleared by the Heat.

“I’m doing great,” Jovic said to European media last month when asked about the ankle injury. “The injury I got is getting better, the swelling is almost gone. But we’ll wait a few more days for the control scan and after that we’ll see how things are.

“Honestly, I’m not 100 percent sure that I’ll play [in the Olympics], but I really believe in it. If it’s still bad and I’m not able to get ready in time, it’s stronger than me and I can’t do anything about it.”

Jovic, who turned 21 last month, closed his second NBA season as the Heat’s starting power forward. He flashed his impressive combination of size and skill at 6-foot-10 and 205 pounds after becoming the Heat’s full-time starting power forward in February, averaging 9.5 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game on 47.6 percent shooting from the field and 39 percent shooting from three-point range while starting his final 26 appearances of the regular season.

Jovic, who is entering the third season of his rookie-scale contract, also was used as a starter in each of the Heat’s five playoff games this past season.

The Olympics would give Jovic an opportunity to play alongside Denver Nuggets three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic as part of Serbia’s frontcourt.

Instead, Jovic may be left recovering from an unfortunate offseason injury to make sure he’s ready for the start of Heat training camp.

Jovic, who was drafted by the Heat with the 27th overall pick in 2022, was sidelined by a back injury for a large chunk of his rookie NBA season. But he missed just two games because of an injury this past season, sitting out a pair of games in March with a strained right hamstring.