ATLANTA

As the Miami Heat searches for answers to its early season struggles, the Heat’s bench rotation remains in flux.

That had Heat forward Nikola Jovic receiving his first DNP-CD (did not play, coach’s decision) of the season in Monday’s home loss to the Dallas Mavericks after playing as one of the team’s primary reserves in each of the first three games of the season.

“I’ve been going through similar stuff before. So, I can’t say I kind of didn’t expect it,” Jovic said after Wednesday’s morning shootaround in Atlanta. “But yeah, the more you’re used to that stuff, the easier it gets. I’m just ready for whatever is next.”

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra opted to play guard Dru Smith off the bench over Jovic on Monday. The other three members of the Heat’s four-man bench rotation (Pelle Larsson, Bobby Portis Jr. and Tim Hardaway Jr.) remained the same.

“I’m still trying to find that spot for Niko,” Spoelstra said before Wednesday night’s road game against the Hawks. “So this is different than last year because he’s been giving us good minutes. But we felt that we needed a little bit more perimeter-based with Dru to be able to set everybody else in their normal positions. But I did extend our frontcourt big minutes the other night, so Niko is still fully in the mix. I just have to figure it out.”

Smith provided quality minutes off the bench in his opportunity on Monday, totaling six points on 2-of-2 shooting from three-point range, two rebounds, one assist and one steal in 15 minutes after totaling just 5:33 of playing time during the Heat’s first three games of the season. Smith also posted a positive plus/minus of plus-4 in Monday’s defeat.

“I think just to be myself, just try to get the ball in the places where it needs to be, that kind of thing,” Smith said of what the Heat is looking for from him. “Continue to bring it on the defensive end, and just try to bring some energy, bring some life. Honestly, I thought the second unit was not doing too bad before, but just try to step in and be myself and try to have my imprint.”

Smith’s biggest strength is his ability to create havoc on the defensive end. Among the 304 players around the NBA who appeared in at least 50 games last regular season, Smith led the league with 3.2 steals per 36 minutes.

“He’s elite in terms of his ability to be disruptive defensively, whether he’s on the ball or off the ball, with his deflections, his anticipation for steals,” Spoelstra said of Smith, who missed the entire preseason due to a calf injury that he suffered in training camp. “And we need to get our defense stabilized, and he’s a big part of our defense.”

But Smith knows his minutes will likely continue to fluctuate from game to game, as Spoelstra works to find the right mix off the bench.

“It’s just accepting that as a fact that the roles can change,” Smith said of staying ready amid the uncertainty surrounding roles. “It’s going to be a little bit fluid until we get things settled down, get things figured out. So just being ready every night, whether your number is called or not. That second unit could change. So just continuing to make sure that we’re all ready to play.”

What needs to be better?

While the Heat enters Wednesday’s game in Atlanta with the NBA’s 27th-ranked offensive rating this season, Spoelstra believes the defense is the key to getting back on track. The Heat enters Wednesday with the 24th-ranked defensive rating.

“Fundamentals and discipline and effort of our defense,” Spoelstra said after Wednesday’s morning shootaround when asked what needs to be better amid the Heat’s 0-4 start to the season. “That has to be the foundation. It’s the first domino that builds the rest of our game. And we’re still searching for that breakout, consistent defensive game.”

Injury report

The Heat will be without Simone Fontecchio (illness) for Wednesday’s game against the Hawks. Fontecchio did not travel to Atlanta.

But the rest of the Heat’s roster is expected to be available for the contest. That includes Larsson, who was initially listed as probable because of a sprained right ankle.