As the Miami Heat disappointingly lost to the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday night, 120-113, there was another aspect of the game that provided bad news for the team. The Heat's young star Nikola Jovic would suffer from a broken right hand and he'll be out for an extended period, leading one to believe that more time will be given to Jaime Jaquez Jr., who has fallen out of the rotation.
Ever since the All-Star break, Jaquez has not appeared in a single minute in each of the last two games where he would be honest in saying that it's been a “struggle.” However, he acknowledged how it's part of the process of developing at his age in the hopes of becoming a better player according to The Miami Herald.
“It’s a struggle,” Jaquez said. “But it’s a part of the game. I’ve just tried to stay positive, understand that coach, he’s got a difficult job. It’s frustrating as a player. You obviously want to get in, help your team. But there are other ways you can help your team. Just got to continue to stay positive, give advice on what you’re seeing, still staying engaged.”
Heat's Jaime Jaquez Jr. looks to make the most of future opportunities
Though Jaquez has been in the midst of a less-than-ideal Heat season in his sophomore year, he is still determined to get his production back from his impressive rookie campaign. Jovic's absence could lead to that opportunity, but Jaquez is still empathetic to someone who is “closest of the guys to me”
“I never want to see anybody go down, especially a guy like Niko, probably the closest of the guys to me,” Jaquez said.” But that’s just the name of the game. One guy goes down, someone has got to step up.”
Miami head coach Erik Spoelstra spoke after the game about who can fill in the void left by Jovic as he left early in Sunday's game as an X-ray revealed that he fractured the second metacarpal of his right hand. Spoelstra would mention Jaquez and even newcomer Kyle Anderson.
“Our power rotation, we do have some depth there,” Spoelstra said. “Kyle will be able to give us some good minutes, Jaime will be able to step up and play. So we’ll have to figure it out. But we have the depth to be able to manage this.”
Heat's Kyle Anderson confident he can fill in for Nikola Jovic
When the Heat traded Jimmy Butler to the Golden State Warriors as part of the multi-team deal before the deadline, they got in return Andrew Wiggins, Davion Mitchell, and Anderson. Wiggins and Mitchell have been in the starting lineup since their first game while Anderson has been looking for a consistent role and now with Jovic's absence, he believes his presence could be of benefit.
“100 percent,” Anderson said. “He’s obviously been playing at a real high level. I think I can bring some winning habits to the team and get going if I need to.”
While Jaquez and Anderson are capable of keeping Miami afloat, Jovic seemed to be impressing each season in the NBA as he's still 21 years old. Spoelstra would share his emotional reaction after Sunday's defeat where he was “shocked by the prognosis” in how it was a broken hand.
“I feel for Niko,” Spoelstra said via Naveen Ganglani. “I know how much he has put into this. He’s had a couple injuries previously. This has nothing to do with it. He’s not snakebitten or anything like that. He actually was playing with some force tonight. I thought he got hit on the leg, he kept on holding his leg. And I was shocked by the prognosis on it. But we’ll see how long it will take and in the meantime other guys will have to step up.”
Spo on Jovic: IDK all the details right now. I know what you guys know. I feel for Niko. I know how much he's put into this... he's not snake-bitten or anything like that. He was playing with force tonight... We'll see how long it will take. In the meantime, others will step up
Spo on Jovic: IDK all the details right now. I know what you guys know. I feel for Niko. I know how much he's put into this... he's not snake-bitten or anything like that. He was playing with force tonight... We'll see how long it will take. In the meantime, others will step up pic.twitter.com/04FGitH9us
— Naveen Ganglani (@naveenganglani) February 24, 2025
At any rate, the Heat face the Atlanta Hawks Monday night as before the game, they are 26-29 which puts them eighth in the East.
