Jaime Jaquez

Heat Notes: Big Three, Lowry, Murray, Trade Options

January 20th, 2024 at 9:55pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Heat have done a remarkable job of weathering injuries, but they’re only 31-31 over the past two years with Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro all on the court together, writes Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. That includes a home loss Friday night to the struggling Hawks, who were missing Trae Young, bringing Miami’s record to 5-6 this season with all three stars available.

“You get used to one guy being out there, or two, and we have all three of us,” Adebayo said. “We’re all trying to play the right way, but also be aggressive. There are going to be some rough patches and we just need to keep working through it.”

The problem, according to Jackson, is the lack of a reliable fourth option to supplement the Big Three, which has caused the offense to sputter. Rookie Jaime Jaquez had been filling that role, but a groin injury will force him to miss his fourth consecutive game on Sunday.

“Teams are doubling Bam and Jimmy every time they touch it in the post,” Herro said. “To be able to watch the film, make adjustments to our spacing, I think we’ll be fine. [We’re] just getting comfortable with everyone back in the rotation.”

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Veteran point guard Kyle Lowry, who was used as a reserve on Friday for the first time this season, is hoping to regain his starting spot, Jackson adds. Coach Erik Spoelstra explained that the move was made for tactical reasons. “With Jaime out, there are some moving parts with this,” Spoelstra said. “I’m not going to be just experimenting in the second half. This is about winning right now. Having Kyle anchor that second unit while Jaime is out is important.”
Hawks guard Dejounte Murray refused to comment on the possibility of being traded to Miami before next month’s deadline, Jackson states in a separate story. Before Friday’s game, Murray posted a photo to Instagram of him pointing to the Heat’s retired jerseys in the Kaseya Center rafters, but he told reporters it’s “respect for legends that have played this game the right way before,” rather than an indication that he wants to join the Heat.
Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel cautions that it’s dangerous to make a trade in reaction to recent acquisitions by the Knicks and Pacers. Winderman suggests that Lowry’s expiring $29.7MM contract only has value if the Heat are willing to take back long-term salary in return, but Caleb Martin and Nikola Jovic might be in play if management doesn’t view them as part of the team’s future.

Heat Notes: Jaquez, Spoelstra, Jovic, Wade

January 15th, 2024 at 10:59am CST by Arthur Hill

Jaime Jaquez didn’t travel with the Heat for their two-game road trip after suffering a left groin strain Sunday night, according to Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. The rookie forward is the only player on the roster who hasn’t missed time this season, but that will change after he was injured on a dunk attempt in the first quarter.

“When I went up for the dunk in transition, I just didn’t feel that well when I took off,” Jaquez said. “It totally started to get worse throughout the duration of the game.”

Jaquez tried to play through the pain, but after talking to assistant coach Caron Butler, he decided to sit out the rest of the game as Haywood Highsmith took his place in Miami’s starting lineup for the second half. Jaquez also suffered a groin strain that forced him to miss two weeks during the preseason, but he doesn’t believe this one is as severe.

“I would say I don’t think it’s as bad,” Jaquez said. “I think especially since we’re on it very early, I’m going to make a very quick and smooth recovery. A lot of prevention is what we’re looking at right now.”

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Coach Erik Spoelstra sees a bright side to the continuing injury issues, saying they have brought a unique focus to the team, Winderman adds in a separate story. As an example, he points to forward Caleb Martin, who returned Friday after his second extended absence of the season. “Guys like Caleb, he wants to gobble up any minute of this type of environment that he can right now,” Spoelstra said. “And the underlying benefit of all this, without anybody having to talk about it, nobody’s taking any of this for granted. When you’re out and you want to play, you’re incredibly grateful to do what we get to do and compete at a high level.”
Nikola Jovic is learning how he can help the team during his greatest stretch of playing time since entering the NBA, per Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Injuries have provided a rare opportunity for the second-year forward, who was hurt for most of his rookie year and was barely used in the first 30 games of this season. “Defensively, I still need a lot of work. I feel like I’ve improved a lot because I’m working on it,” Jovic said. “But I still feel like I’m not there. As someone who is 6-foot-10, I think I can do a lot more. Those things are going to keep me on the court and those are the things that (Spoelstra) talks about and those are things that are important.”
Team president Pat Riley announced on Sunday that the Heat will build a statue of Hall of Famer Dwyane Wade outside their arena, writes David Wilson of The Miami Herald.

Jaime Jaquez, Chet Holmgren Named Rookies Of The Month

January 4th, 2024 at 5:43pm CST by Rory Maher

For the second straight time, Heat wing Jaime Jaquez and Thunder big man Chet Holmgren have been named the NBA’s Rookies of the Month, the league announced on Thursday (via Twitter).

Former UCLA standout Jaquez, the 18th pick of the 2023 draft, averaged 16.1 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.7 assists on .481/.324/.849 shooting in 13 December games (33.6 MPG). He has helped keep Miami in the thick of the Eastern Conference playoff hunt despite a series of injuries to key players.

Holmgren, the Western Conference winner, averaged 17.4 points, 7.7. rebounds, 2.4 assists and 3.5 blocks on .551/.385/.780 shooting in 13 December contests (29.7 MPG). After missing all of 2022/23 with a foot injury, the 21-year-old has appeared in every game for Oklahoma City thus far in ’23/24, and has been a major factor in the team holding the second-best record in the West (23-10).

According to the NBA (Twitter link), Utah’s Keyonte George, Portland’s Scoot Henderson, Dallas’ Dereck Lively and San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama were the other nominees in the West, while Washington’s Bilal Coulibaly, Charlotte’s Brandon Miller and Cleveland’s Craig Porter Jr. were nominated in the East.

Heat Notes: Adebayo, Jaquez, Love, Jovic

January 4th, 2024 at 1:25pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Heat center Bam Adebayo, who is signed through the 2025/26 season, would become eligible to sign a four-year, super-max extension this upcoming offseason if he meets the performance criteria.

But Adebayo has already been unavailable for 10 games and only played 12 minutes in an 11th, which means he can’t miss more than six games the rest of the way if he wants remain eligible for postseason awards that could lead to super-max qualification. That hasn’t escaped Adebayo’s attention.

“You’re definitely aware of that because that’s generational wealth at the end of the day,” he told Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald and other media members. “But we know the number, we know what it is and I know I’ve already missed 10 games. I got [six] left. But you handle those [six] with caution.”

However, Adebayo doesn’t mind the new CBA stipulation with the 65-game requirement for postseason honors.

“I think it’s a good rule because you get the best competition every day and there is no taking nights off,” he said. “You get some days where guys are just banged up, sore and they need one. It’s a long season. But I feel like around a 17-, 18-game [bufffer], that’s more than enough time.”

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One of the things that impressed the Heat about Jaime Jaquez Jr. as the draft neared was that Jaquez didn’t transfer during his UCLA career, even when his role changed, Kurt Helin of NBC Sports writes. “You just rarely see that anymore,” coach Erik Spoelstra said. “I mentioned the other night, usually if things are not perceived going your way — and the unfortunate thing right now for young kids, there’s so many people in their ears, and it’s a microwave society — so if you’re not a sensation right out of the gate as a number one option, you’re basically transferring, going into the portal, or you are declaring. And you’re not really getting these opportunities to grow, develop some grit, embrace a role, understand what it takes to win in that role, and then earn more opportunities. And that was relevant to us by the time he was a senior, he was really impacting winning as a number one option, but he was impacting winning as a role player.”
Kevin Love believes Jaquez has moved into the Rookie of the Year discussion alongside Chet Holmgren and Victor Wembanyama. “Jaime has stepped right into a role where we’ve needed him to play heavy minutes. He’s done it exceptionally well,” Love told Mark Medina of Sportskeeda.com.
Love also remarked to Medina that he’s embracing his bench role. “It starts by leading by example and using my voice because I’ve seen a lot and done a lot in this league,” he said. “Transitioning into that role is a huge part of what you just mentioned – it’s embracing change. A lot of people would say it’s a lesser role. But it’s not less important. Everybody gets to write a verse in this. I’m in here trying to write mine, and have it be an important role.”
While Jaquez is averaging 13.8 points and 30.0 minutes per game, 2022 first-round pick Nikola Jovic has only appeared in eight contests with the NBA club. Jovic told Sam Yip of HoopsHype that he’s trying to stay patient.” I feel great on the court, I’m just waiting for the opportunity,” he said. “You can’t rush through things. I’m sure it’ll come soon too, so I’m going to see where I’m at, help the team, show the coaches I can play.”

Heat Notes: Injury Updates, Trade Assets, Lowry

December 27th, 2023 at 6:44pm CST by Arthur Hill

Even with half the rotation listed on the injury report, there was good news for the Heat as they gathered today for their final practice before leaving on a five-game West Coast trip, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Jimmy Butler, who has missed three straight games with a strained left calf, and Josh Richardson, who was unavailable Monday due to lower back discomfort, were both partial participants in practice. Haywood Highsmith, who sat out Monday due to illness, was able to participate fully.

“I feel much better now,” Highsmith said. “Still trying to catch my wind. Get my breathing down and my chest down. Trying to get up and down, conditioning and stuff, but I feel much better. I think I lost some pounds from not eating and sweating a lot. But I’m good now.”

Miami also got an encouraging update on Caleb Martin, who sprained his ankle in the first quarter Monday and was ruled out for the rest of the game. Martin didn’t practice today and it’s not certain if he’ll be able to play during the trip, but he appears to have avoided a major injury.

“I’m feeling a lot better than expected,” he said. “… X-ray came back clean. So everything, for the most part, is good. Just being smart and taking it day by day. There’s some swelling and bruising, so just working with that.”

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Miami seems to be mentioned as a potential destination for every star who becomes available, but Heat players are confident that the current roster can compete for a title if there’s not a major addition before the trade deadline, per Joe Vardon of The Athletic. The organization didn’t land Damian Lillard, who was rumored to be headed to Miami all summer, and it lost Gabe Vincent and Max Strus from last season’s NBA Finals team, but it has remained competitive, sitting at fifth place in the East at 18-12. Vardon points out that the Heat still have plenty of draft assets and young talent on hand to make a run at any of the available players in Chicago or Toronto or even Donovan Mitchell if Cleveland decides to part with him.
Among the reasons for the Heat’s success is point guard Kyle Lowry, who continues to be productive at age 37, Vardon adds. Lowry is starting and averaging 29.3 minutes per game during his 18th NBA season, and he made an impression on his former coach in Monday’s contest against Philadelphia. “When the ball goes up, man, deep down inside, he just competes,” said Nick Nurse, who spent several years with Lowry in Toronto. “I can’t tell you the amount of times that we talked about ‘We’re going to take you out here, we’re going to play you this amount of minutes,’ … and when the ball went up and the game got tough and we needed him out there, he wanted to be out there. He’d crash right through all those plans and keep on playing and keep making plays.”
The Heat also have a talented young core in place that can keep the franchise competitive after veterans like Lowry and Butler are gone, observes Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel, who envisions a future built around Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro and Jaime Jaquez.

Heat Notes: Jaquez, Two-Way Players, Butler, Herro

December 26th, 2023 at 2:58pm CST by Arthur Hill

With Jimmy Butler missing a third straight game, Heat rookie Jaime Jaquez turned in a Butler-style performance with 31 points and 10 rebounds in Monday’s win over Philadelphia, writes Tim Bontemps of ESPN. It marks the latest achievement in a remarkable first season for Jaquez, who has long dreamed of being part of the NBA’s Christmas showcase.

“Definitely special,” he said. “Great to get a win. Career night, on Christmas … I grew up watching these games. To be able to play and have a career night, it just, I just go back to all the hard work, late nights in the gym, just preparing for moments like this.”

Jaquez is proving that he entered the NBA ready to play right away after spending four seasons in college. Injuries have given him opportunities on a team coming off a Finals appearance, and he has found ways to contribute without being a focal point of the offense.

“I don’t think I called one play for him tonight, literally,” coach Erik Spoelstra said. “I mean, they were in his zone most of the second half. But throughout the rest of the course of the game, I definitely did not call it one play for him. And he did with offensive rebounding, transition, cuts, timely threes, just a lot of plays in between, so you don’t really think that it’s, you know, a 30-point game.”

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Caleb Martin is the latest injury concern for a Heat team that has been shorthanded all season, notes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Making his 10th straight start after missing the beginning of the season with a knee injury, Martin was ruled out of Monday’s contest after spraining his ankle midway through the first quarter. Two-way players Jamal Cain and R.J. Hampton saw double-digit minutes Monday and may have expanded roles while the rest of the roster heals. “They have prepared for that,” Spoelstra said. “It’s not easy for the players in their situation where you don’t know if you’re going to play. And most nights, you probably have an idea that you’re not going to play. But you still have to stay ready and things change so quickly in this league.”
Butler will travel with the team as it begins a five-game road trip and Heat officials are optimistic that he will be able to return soon, Chiang adds. There was hope that his calf strain had healed enough for him to play Monday, but an illness prevented that from happening.
Tyler Herro has been a steady presence since returning from a sprained ankle that caused him to miss 18 games, Chiang states in a separate story. Herro is averaging career highs with 24.0 points and 4.4 assists per game while shooting a career-best 45.9% from the field and 42.7% from three-point range.

Heat Notes: O. Robinson, Adebayo, Richardson, Jaquez

December 11th, 2023 at 10:00am CST by Arthur Hill

Heat center Orlando Robinson didn’t expect to be an NBA starter so soon, but he’s taking advantage of the opportunity created by Bam Adebayo‘s injury, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Adebayo will miss his fourth straight game tonight in Charlotte with a left hip contusion, so Robinson will likely be in the starting lineup again.

The 23-year-old posted the best game of his brief NBA career last Wednesday with 15 points and 12 rebounds at Toronto, but that was followed by a rough outing against Cleveland on Friday in which he was a minus-18 in 20 minutes. Coach Erik Spoelstra said Robinson continues to improve as he deals with the increased responsibility.

“He makes you absolutely respect his fortitude and his grit,” Spoelstra said. “He is relentless with his work, with his approach, with his commitment to earn trust from everybody and he does it with a competitive spirit. He gets better each month. He goes to school on everything. If he makes a mistake in any kind of game, he gets to work with the film, with [Heat assistant coach] Malik [Allen] and then he wants to drill it 10,000 times, which is what we love.”

Robinson, who has $850K of his $1.8MM salary for this season already guaranteed, wasn’t in the team’s rotation when the season began. He played in just four of the first 18 games and spent time in the G League late last month. Robinson may fall out of the rotation again when Adebayo returns, with Kevin Love likely to be the primary backup center, but this latest stretch confirms his belief that he’s a legitimate NBA player.

“I knew,” Robinson said. “It was just waiting on the opportunity and making the most of it.”

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Josh Richardson expressed frustration after being called for his third flopping violation of the season in Friday’s game, Chiang adds in a separate story. The NBA has placed a renewed emphasis on getting rid of flopping, fining players $2K for each violation, but Richardson doesn’t believe officials are doing a good job of policing it. “I don’t know what it is,” he said. “Maybe I just need to start running people over and stop falling or do something. But I don’t know, I think it’s terrible.”
Jaime Jaquez isn’t bitter about falling to 18th in this year’s draft, but he tells Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel that he’s “definitely aware” of all the players who were selected ahead of him. Jaquez, who was chosen as the league’s Rookie of the Month for November, said the long wait paid off when he learned that he was headed to Miami. “So as long as I came here, I was good,” he said. “So it ended up working out for me. To the teams that passed, sorry, but this is where I wanted to go, anyway.”
The Lakers’ in-season tournament dominance could make the Heat think about adding more size to their roster, Winderman states in a mailbag column.

Southeast Notes: Ball, Williams, Smith Jr., Adebayo, Robinson, Jaquez

December 10th, 2023 at 5:21pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Hornets guard LaMelo Ball suffered a severe sprain of his right ankle on November 26 and he’ll be reevaluated in approximately one week. Ball told The Charlotte Observer’s Roderick Boone that he’s gradually progressing in his recovery from the injury.

“Just slow progress. I’m doing treatment every day, just trying to get better,” the Hornets star said. “From when it happened, it feels a little better.”

Ball is optimistic he can return to the Hornets lineup sooner than expected: “It feels way better than when it happened because at first I couldn’t even put any pressure on my foot. But now I can stand on two feet, walk a little. Still (have) a little limp, but way better than it was.”

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The Hornets list Mark Williams (low back contusion) and Nick Smith Jr. (right foot) as doubtful for the their game against Miami on Monday. Williams, who is averaging 12.7 points and 9.7 rebounds, departed after playing 20 minutes against Toronto on Friday.
Heat center Bam Adebayo will miss his fourth straight game due to a left hip contusion, according to Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald. With Adebayo sidelined, Orlando Robinson recorded the first double-double of his career against Toronto on Wednesday. Robinson had a rough outing against Cleveland on Friday with a plus/minus of -18 in 20 minutes. His $1.8MM salary doesn’t fully guarantee until Jan. 10.
Jaime Jaquez played four years of college ball and he’s boosted the Heat immediately, averaging 12.2 points (on 52.2% shooting), 3.6 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game. The 18th overall pick of the June draft is proving that experienced college players can bring more to the table than a one-and-done, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel notes. “I think the fact that he played four years of college, for sure, was viewed as a negative thing and that’s a shame right now because he was a winning player,” coach Erik Spoelstra said.

Chet Holmgren, Jaime Jaquez Named Rookies Of The Month

December 4th, 2023 at 2:39pm CST by Rory Maher

Thunder big man Chet Holmgren and Heat wing Jaime Jaquez have been named the rookies of the month for the Western and Eastern Conferences, respectively, the NBA announced on Monday (via Twitter). Since the 2023/24 season started in late October, the awards count games played in both October and November.

The No. 2 overall pick of the 2022 draft, Holmgren missed all of last season due to a foot injury. In his first taste of regular season action, he filled the stat sheet in impressive fashion, averaging 17.9 points, 7.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 2.1 blocks on .537/.410/.871 shooting in 18 games over the past two months (30.0 minutes).

The Thunder are currently 13-6, the No. 2 seed in the West. Holmgren is tied for second on the team in points per game, and leads OKC in rebounding and blocked shots.

Jaquez, who was selected No. 18 overall in this year’s draft, has stepped into a major rotation role for Miami and fit in seamlessly, averaging 12.0 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.1 steals on .529/.390/.875 shooting in his first 19 games, including four starts (26.6 minutes).

The Heat have dealt with several injuries again this fall and are currently 11-9, the No. 7 seed in the East.

According to the NBA (Twitter link), the other nominees in the West were Jordan Hawkins, Dereck Lively and Victor Wembanyama, while Brandon Miller, Craig Porter Jr. and Ausar Thompson were nominated in the East. Porter, who went undrafted out of Wichita State, is the lone player on a two-way contract who was nominated — all the others were first-round picks.

Heat Notes: Jaquez, Adebayo, O. Robinson, Herro

December 2nd, 2023 at 7:14pm CST by Arthur Hill

Jaime Jaquez knew where he wanted to go in the draft, and he got his wish when Miami selected him with the 18th pick, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Projected as a mid-first rounder after spending four years at UCLA, Jaquez was aware that he might still be on the board for Miami’s selection and he was hoping for the chance to work with two legends.

“I think when it comes to basketball, just being under (team president) Pat Riley and coach Spo (Erik Spoelstra), I don’t think you could ask for two better guys when it comes to basketball to play under and learn from,” Jaquez said. “So that was a big reason. I also didn’t want to stay in L.A. for all my life. I wanted to get out and be somewhere new, kind of challenge myself to get out of my comfort zone. So coming to Miami was a spot that I always really loved. I had been here before a couple times and I just loved the city, loved everything about it. So I just really wanted to come here.”

The Heat are thrilled with the production they’ve gotten from Jaquez, who has been pressed into extra duty since an early-season injury to Tyler Herro. He has responded by averaging 12.0 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.1 steals in his first 19 NBA games. Chiang also notes that his shooting touch has been excellent — 52.9% from the field, 39% from three-point range and 87.5% from the free throw line — and he’s an asset on defense as well.

“He’s playing winning basketball,” Spoelstra said. “He’s able to complement a lot of different lineups. He’s eating up everything right now and he’s a smart player. So he picks up things quickly. But the biggest thing is he’s a competitor, he’s a mature player and those type of characteristics can fit in with what we’re trying to do.”

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Bam Adebayo will miss tonight’s game with a left hip contusion and he won’t travel with the team for Wednesday’s contest in Toronto, tweets Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. Chiang points out that Miami has a lull in its schedule with just three games over nine days, so Adebayo will have a chance to heal (Twitter link).
Orlando Robinson‘s contract became guaranteed for $850K on Friday, per Keith Smith of Spotrac (Twitter link). The second-year center will receive his full $1.8MM salary if he remains on the roster through the league-wide guarantee date of January 7.
The Heat’s rotation has changed since Herro was injured, and Spoelstra will have to make more adjustments when he returns, observes Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. Winderman notes that when Herro sprained his ankle on November 8, Caleb Martin wasn’t playing significant minutes, Josh Richardson was still adjusting to the team and Jaquez hadn’t scored more than 11 points in a game. There were also questions about whether Duncan Robinson and Haywood Highsmith could handle starting roles.

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