The injury bug continues to bite the Miami Heat, as it was announced on their X (formerly known as Twitter) that Jaime Jaquez Jr. is going to be out for Game 5 against the Boston Celtics on Wednesday due to a hip injury.
This is certainly bad news for the Miami Heat, who are already without Jimmy Butler and Terry Rozier and are one defeat away from seeing their 2023-24 campaign end, since the UCLA product has been fairly productive in his postseason debut, with averages of 12.8 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game in 30.8 minutes per contest.
Jaime Jaquez Jr. strained his hip in Game 4 on Monday, as he “felt something give in” after going for a rebound early in the third period. He finished the game with nine points, two rebounds, and two assists in 22 minutes of action.
Credit: AP Photo
“I just felt something, felt something give in the hip,” Jaquez said after Game 4. “It was really just my hip, my right hip. I felt something give in the beginning in the third quarter going up for a rebound. I tried to get back in there, tried to give it everything I had.”
Miami Heat will exercise caution on Jaime Jaquez Jr.
Even with their season on the line, the Miami Heat will not force Jaime Jaquez Jr. back from his hip injury, as the 23-year-old rookie said that he will take it “day by day.”
“I think just take it day by day. “This is something definitely a little new. I don’t think I’ve had an injury up here before. But like I said, day by day,” Jaquez said via Zachary Weinberger on X (formerly known as Twitter).
“This is when guys come together and get tighter as a group. And that’s what we’re going to do,” he added.
Credit: AP Photo
Before playing in his first NBA postseason, Jaime Jaquez Jr. has been touted as one of the steals of the 2023 NBA Draft, with regular-season averages of 11.9 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game on 48.9 percent shooting from the field.
