UCLA Bruins guard Jaime Jaquez Jr. (24); UCLA Basketball defeats Chico State 100-61 in exhibition play, November 4, 2021, Los Angeles, CA.
The Miami Heat are 1-5 without Jaquez in the lineup. Their troubles will not miraculously disappear when he returns from injury, but he does tidy up a lot.
The most obvious necessity the Heat lacks is the easy buckets and opportunities that Jaquez creates. You’ve always seen him cutting through the back door for an easy layup or crashing the boards for a putback.
That aspect of the Heat’s offense has been absent throughout this five-game losing streak. Prior to his groin injury, Jaquez averaged 17 points and five rebounds in his last four games.
Jaquez’s efforts are not usually recorded on the stat sheet, but his impact is significant. His patience and skill to maintain control are amazing for a novice.
Jaime Jaquez Jr. gets up 3-straight buckets for the Heat 🥵
He leads Miami in scoring with 11 points. Less than 6 minutes left in the 1st half. pic.twitter.com/QCpJD9lFYu
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) January 13, 2024
Jaquez never presses for a basket; everything follows the game’s flow. With so many mouths to feed, a link is vital.
“The Heat have a bunch of guys right now that kind of stand around when they don’t have it, get it, and then they want to put it down and call for another screen.” ESPN’s Tim Legler spoke on Zach Lowe’s podcast.
“[The Heat] have a bunch of guys right now that kind of stand around when they don’t have it, get it, & then they want to put it down & call for another screen…Except for like Duncan Robinson who’s going to run around a lot & catch & shoot it when he gets it. Everybody else,… pic.twitter.com/zHtqNhyxqn
— Dru (@dru_star) January 26, 2024
Except for Duncan Robinson, who will run about and catch and shoot it whenever he gets it. Everyone else tries to find a rhythm off the dribble.”
He then goes on to claim that Erik Spoelstra is the ideal coach to straighten things out.
While listening to that, Jaquez immediately sprang to mind. He’s the selfless man who consistently makes the right play. He doesn’t need the ball to create an impact, and he only needs to dribble it.
The Heat have been mired in mud, but the rookie could be the one to liberate them.
