As the Miami Heat prepare for the Atlanta Hawks Friday night, they once again have a lengthy injury report filled with key players. This time around though, it is a mixed bag of statuses as some are positive while others are a cause for concern as the team still deals with issues in terms of available players.
One of those players is rookie sensation Jaime Jaquez Jr. who is once again doubtful for Friday against the Hawks as he is still dealing with a left groin strain according to the team's X (formerly known as Twitter) account. He has missed the last two games after he suffered the injury in last Sunday's game against the Charlotte Hornets where he was on pace for a career-high game scoring 15 points in the first quarter.
This is not the first time Jaquez has sustained an injury like this as he missed two weeks in the preseason with a groin injury. The rookie had played every game of the season up until then and despite being a first-year player, he was being used a ton in clutch situations. He has won back to back Eastern Conference rookie of the month awards for his performance in the past few months.
“I take a lot of pride in being able to be available and play games, even through things that are hurting and little injuries here and there,” Jaquez said. “But I think at this point, this is something that I’ve got to take a little more serious and take some time to just recuperate and get myself to 100 percent.”
Love will be “available” for Heat Friday
On a more positive note, star Kevin Love has been upgraded to “available” for the contest facing the Hawks. He had missed the last three games due to a left knee contusion.
Love has been an integral piece to the rotation for Miami and head coach Erik Spoelstra, predominantly being the back up center to big-man Bam Adebayo. Even Spoelstra himself talks about how the veteran impacts the team on and off the court.
“He's a glue guy, he's a connector, he makes a lot of lineups look better, and that's what great players do. And he's fully embraced this role. We've been embraced him as well,” Spoelstra said before Sunday's outing. “And he's a value add based on his ability to rebound, get us out into the open court. His IQ on both ends of the court. It's doesn't take a lot to figure out like why it works, if you can get a great player at this stage in their careers where they embrace this kind of role, that's a great thing.”
A late addition to the injury report is dynamic three-point shooter Duncan Robinson who is listed as “questionable” for Friday with a left ankle sprain. While he is known for his threat from three-point range, he has improved in a lot of areas coming into the year. The 29-year old player has been averaging a career-high 14 points per game this season while shooting 41.1 percent from deep.
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