MIAMI – With the Miami Heat sporting a roster that's highlighted by its depth, one piece in the rotation that has been crucial this season is Jaime Jaquez Jr., who's currently in his third season. As the Heat have a relatively healthy roster, Jaquez has been bitten by the injury bug, missing Monday's game against the Detroit Pistons.

Jaquez didn't practice in Friday's session, with the team listing him “questionable” with a right groin strain, eventually ruling him out with under two hours left until tip-off. The UCLA product has been a revelation in his third season, coming off a major sophomore slump, as Miami's change in offensive philosophy fits his strengths.

Averaging 16.2 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game while shooting 53 percent from the field, Jaquez has been getting early consideration for the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year award, having usually been the first player off the bench. Though missing Monday, head coach Erik Spoelstra spoke about the “clarity” that he brings to the team.

“You just have clarity with the second unit, I think that clarity has helped him; he knows when he's going in the game,” Spoelstra said before Saturday's game against Detroit. ‘He can see the game. You know, for the first six minutes, I think everybody has welcomed the boost of energy that he brings. Immediately as soon as he comes into the game. So he's just really worked at improving the things that he needs to improve on to be able to maximize his strengths, which is getting downhill, getting in the paint. But the playmaking and the decision-making have improved to allow him to be that aggressive.”

Heat's Erik Spoelstra speaks on watching NBA Cup games closely

Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra looks on against the Cleveland Cavaliers during the second quarter at Kaseya Center.
Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
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While Jaquez has grown tremendously with the Heat since popping off on the scene in his impressive rookie year to moving away from his strengths in the second, he's back to being a crucial rotational piece for the team. As the team hopes Jaquez's groin injury will not make him miss that long, Miami will be playing crucial games with a playoff-like atmosphere very soon, having qualified for the NBA Cup knockout rounds.

With the result of Friday's games, the Heat will be facing the Orlando Magic on Dec. 9 in the quarterfinal round, where the winner goes to Las Vegas in the quest for the NBA Cup. For Spoelstra, he was keeping a close eye on Friday's games, like the New York Knicks beating the Milwaukee Bucks and the Atlanta Hawks beating the Cleveland Cavaliers.

He admitted his confusion with the abundance of possibilities connected to Miami.

“Yeah, I was watching two of the games at the same time,” Spoelstra said. “And then, you know, Andy and Scott Gurka had briefed me on all the different possibilities, so I just got more confused. And then the last four minutes of both games, I was trying to get stressed out for rooting. I don't want to root for anybody, especially not, you know, these teams. So I threw out the movie instead, and then waited until afterwards, and then watched this morning. That's how I like to watch it. You know, there's no emotion to it.”

At any rate, Miami advancing to the knockout rounds is the first time the team has done it in the three seasons that the NBA's in-season tournament has been around.