Rookie Jaime Jaquez Jr.of the Miami Heat reportedly suffered a left groin strain during practice on Wednesday.
Hopefully for Miami, this won’t be a long-term problem for Jaquez.
The rookie played well in his preseason debut against the Charlotte Hornets, scoring 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting from the field.
Jaquez came off the bench for the Heat in their preseason opener, but he played more than 20 minutes and finished with 7 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 turnovers.
It was a promising debut for a young player who could play a key role in Miami’s rotation in the 2023-24 season.
The Heat need players like Jaquez and Nikola Jovic to bolster the team now that Max Strus and Gabe Vincent are no longer with the franchise.
Strus was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers in a sign-and-trade this offseason, while Vincent signed with the Los Angeles Lakers in free agency.
Jaquez, the No.
18 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, enters the NBA with a little more basketball experience than some rookies as he played four seasons at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).
During the 2022-23 season, Jaquez averaged 17.
8 points, 8.
2 rebounds and 2.
4 assists per game for the Bruins.
During his college career, Jaquez shot 47.
5% from the field and 32.
8% from beyond the arc.
The Heat have four preseason games remaining against the San Antonio Spurs (October 13), Memphis Grizzlies (October 15), Brooklyn Nets (October 18) and Houston Rockets (October 20) before the regular season begins .
Hopefully Jaquez’s injury is mild enough for him to be more involved in pre-season, as that could give Erik Spoelstra a better idea of whether the young winger can make the team rotation to open the season or not.
The Heat will open the 2023-24 season in two weeks starting Wednesday, October 25 against the Detroit Pistons.
Detroit was one of the worst teams in the NBA last season, so Miami would love to open the campaign with a win.
This game will be at home, but the Heat will then play three consecutive away games.
When healthy, Jaquez will likely compete with Jovic, Caleb Martin, Haywood Highsmith and others for minutes on the Miami wing.