As some Miami Heat fans will have deja vu, the team once again has a lengthy injury report heading into Sunday's contest against the Cleveland Cavaliers as it will be the second outing in the current four-game home stand. While it is not out of the usual for Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra to coach an under-manned unit, it still has been a frustrating season in terms of the team's health.
This time around for the Heat's laundry list of injured players, it features players that have been mainstays at this point and some new additions that remains to be seen if it's serious or just a nagging small problem. With 12 games left in the regular season, there is no room for error as Miami is trying to solidify playoff seeding and try to get out of contention for the play-in tournament.
Jaime Jaquez Jr. on the injury report for Miami
One of the new additions to the injury report is rookie Jaime Jaquez Jr. who is listed as “questionable” with “Left Knee/Ankle; discomfort.” The first-year player has been a standout for the team and one of the top rookies in the NBA despite being selected with the 18th overall pick.
While he has missed some time this season with six games, he's really been more than reliable for Miami, especially filling in for star Jimmy Butler when he was absent due to injury. The Heat should be giving Jaquez a more substantial update on Sunday before the game.
Heat announce that Duncan Robinson, Tyler Herro, and Kevin are OUT for tomorrow's game against Cavs.
Also on the injury report is Jaime Jaquez Jr. (Left Knee/Ankle; discomfort) and Caleb Martin (Right knee/Ankle; discomfort). #HEATCulture
— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) March 23, 2024
While not really a new addition, Caleb Martin is on the report, but with a different injury than the known thump sprain as this time around, he's dealing with a “Right Knee/Ankle; discomfort.” He has had several leg injuries this season so the team is hoping it's not anything substantial or long-term.
Tyler Herro, Kevin Love, and Duncan Robinson still out
For the aforementioned “mainstays” on the injury report, Tyler Herro and Kevin Love are once again out for Saturday's crucial game against the Cavs. The Heat have been without both players for multiple weeks now as fans are wondering when will be the next time they see them, if at all before the end of the regular season as they will be missing their 15th and 13th contest respectively.
Duncan Robinson will miss his third game due to “left facet syndrome” which started as a back injury where he had to leave in the third quarter of the loss against the Philadelphia 76ers on March 18. He did say Friday that while it isn't “too serious,” the Heat is going to be “smart about it” or not rushing his return.
“Thankful it’s not too serious,” Robinson said. “Big thing is making sure [to] calm it down. It’s flared up right now. I’m trying to play as soon as I possibly can. Itching to be back out there. As soon as get the clear and OK, I’ll be back out there. Taking a couple days helps a lot. The recovery and treatment has helped as well as other things.
“You want to be smart about it,” Robinson continued. “I understand down the stretch there is going to be some managing of it from a pain perspective, which I’m ready to embrace, but you don’t want to rush back to where it just flares up to where it starts [process] from day one.”
The Heat are 38-32 on the season which puts them seventh in the Eastern Conference with 12 games left in the regular season. Miami continues on with their four-game home stand Sunday against the Cavs before taking on the Golden State Warriors and Portland Trail Blazers next week.
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