Jaime Jaquez Jr stepped up for the Miami Heat without Jimmy Butler.
Jaquez had 19 points, 10 rebounds, and three steals in 36 minutes, but it wasn’t enough as the Heat lost 108-89 to their rival Boston Celtics.
“When guys go down, it’s our job to step up and try to fill in those gaps,” Jaquez said. “Coming into this game, I knew I had to be aggressive, which was my mentality.”
The Heat were missing Butler’s playmaking and emotional leadership on the court. One of the great things about Butler’s game is to drive to the basket and draw fouls to get to the line.
Jaquez learned this aspect from Butler and applied it to get to the foul line against the Celtics. He went 9 of 12 from the line.
“Trying to get to the line, big emphasis on that,” Jaquez said. “That’s something that Jimmy does really well. I’ve just been trying to look at that and find my way to get to the line as well, and I'm happy that I was able to get there today.”
Like Butler, Jaquez has missed some time due to injuries and illness. However, he’s feeling great and ready to move on and compete.
“It’s been a process right now,” Jaquez said. “I feel great. I’m 100 percent. I’ve been doing everything possible to get my body in the best shape possible. There’s been some hiccups here and there when it came to my ankles. I was sick for a little bit, but that’s all behind me, and I'm just looking to move forward.”
Miguel Mike Medina is a contributor to Miami Heat On SI. He can be reached at [email protected]
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