While the Miami Heat have 10 games left in the regular season, making it a stressful time, it has been a successful first year for rookie Jaime Jaquez Jr. who was taken with the 18th overall pick. In an exclusive interview with ClutchPoints, Jaquez talks after Thursday's practice about about the mindset with the end of the season around the corner and how he is currently feeling in terms of his health.
The Heat are in no mans land at the moment where a misstep can set the team back with how tight the standings are in the Eastern Conference. Even though it is his first season in the NBA, Jaquez said that the sense of urgency for the team is “at an all-time high.”
“I would say it's definitely a sense of urgency,” Jaquez said. “Obviously the playoff are right around the corner. This is the time of the year where everyone contends for a great spot and that's position that we're in so the urgency is at an all-time high.”
How Jaquez is feeling as he's dealing with ankle discomfort
Jaquez is sure to be vital in Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra's rotation as he has been all season, especially dealing with the continuous injuries the team has faced. However, the UCLA product has been hit by the injury bug himself as of late in the past week.
He was a late add on to the injury report before last Sunday's matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers where he eventually sat out the game with left ankle discomfort. Jaquez would go on to play in next Tuesday's game against the Golden State Warriors where he played 26 minutes as he said to ClutchPoints that he's been “taking a lot of time with the trainers” and mentioning at this time of the season, the “mental toughness” is showcased.
“I'm feeling good right now,” Jaquez said. “I've been taking a lot of time with the trainers, doing everything I can to get my body in a prime position that it needs to be in, but I'm feeling great right now, they've been doing a great job with me and I'm feeling good.”
“This is what we're paid to do is play basketball,” Jaquez continued. “So trying to get out there as fast as I can, especially, things are bothering me and even if they are, still trying to play through little injuries. I mean, it's not just me, it's everybody around the league, it's just that time of the year, 82 games is a long season. And this is where the mental toughness comes in.”
Got a one-on-one with Jaime Jaquez Jr. today after practice as he told me about how he’s feeling after being on the injury report for the past few games. #HeatCulture
“I’m feeling good right now, I’ve been taking a lot of time with the trainers…” pic.twitter.com/HgZ27Y2ix6
— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) March 28, 2024
Even in first year, Jaquez understands the hurdles of a typical season
While Jaquez is probable to play Friday against the Portland Trail Blazers, there is no doubt that it has been a frustrating time with injuries for the Heat's key players like Tyler Herro, Duncan Robinson, Kevin Love, and others. Even though he's in his first season in the NBA, he understands that there are “hurdles throughout the season” with injuries being one.
“There's hurdles throughout the season, injuries is one thing that we have to deal with this team along with the rest of the entirety of the league. So with this team, we try to come together, when guys are down, next man up mentality and just give it everything we got.”
The Heat are 39-33 on the season which puts them seventh in the East as their placement can drastically change depending on a win or a loss. But for star Bam Adebayo, he's not paying too much attention to the standings as he told ClutchPoints Thursday.
“Taking it game by game,” Adebayo said. “You get caught up into standings and how many games we got left, you'll let something slip so it's game by game.”
Asked Bam Adebayo about him saying every game is a must-win. Does he and the team follow the standings closely with 10 games left?
His response: #HeatCulture pic.twitter.com/HixblSA4e9
— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) March 28, 2024
Erik Spoelstra gives assessment on Trail Blazers
There shouldn't be any excuses for Miami as their next two games are against opponents with middling records in their respective conferences in the Trail Blazers on Friday and the Washington Wizards on Sunday. Spoelstra said that Portland has a lot of traits that can surprise teams, but “the opportunity is still there for us” to get to the point they're aiming for towards the end of the season.
“The one thing you can definitely expect is there's going to be a great deal of speed, athleticism, quickness, energy, youthful enthusiasm, all those things on any given night can be extremely dangerous,” Spoelstra said. “Chauncey [Billups] has that group playing really hard, they don't have the pressure of anything. So we have to continue to do what we've been talking about. We have to get a lot more consistent to our identity night in and night out and then be our best version also offensively with putting points on the board.”
“We're ready to go,” Spoelstra continued. “Whatever, this time of the year, we're trying to play our best game to get wins, regardless of who we're playing, how we're playing, where we're playing, that's where we are right now coming off of a tough loss the other night. The opportunity is still there for us, That’s what we have to continue to understand. There can be disappointments during the season, there are ups and downs. You ultimately are where your record says you are. But there’s opportunity in front of us if we can take advantage of it and that’s what we’re focused on right now.”
Erik Spoelstra talks about what he sees and what to expect from the Trail Blazers: #HeatCulture pic.twitter.com/FAUSqC7QzO
— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) March 28, 2024
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