Jaime Jaquez Jr. played a large role in the Miami Heat’s 121-110 win over the Sacramento Kings on Monday night.
Jaquez stepped into the starting lineup while Jimmy Butler was serving a one-game suspension for his involvement in a fight against the New Orleans Pelicans. Nikola Jovic is also serving a one-game suspension. Thomas Bryant will be out for an additional two games.
"Shoutout to Niko, Jimmy, TB, all those guys; this is for you," Jaquez said after the game.
Jaquez had only netted eight points in that game but the rookie took control in the Heat’s latest win. He scored 26 points while also contributing five rebounds and three steals. It is the first time that Jaquez has scored more than 20 points since before he suffered a groin injury in mid-January.
Jaquez has been relatively underwhelming since returning to action. Monday was just his second start in his last 12 games. Jaquez averaged just 8.3 points on 37.4 percent shooting during his previous 11 games.
Jaquez took advantage of his increased role on Monday. His 26 points were the second-highest of his career. Jaquez also missed just five of his 17 shots. He even capped off his breakout performance with five clutch points within the final minutes of a tight game.
"When I got in those situations, I just felt really confident in my ability to get to the basket and get a bucket," Jaquez commented about his late-game opportunities on monday.
Butler returns to the Heat’s starting lineup for Tuesday's game at the Portland Trail Blazers. That likely pushes Jaquez back to the bench. He should still see plenty of playing time as the Heat continue to deal with injuries to Tyler Herro, Terry Rozier, and Josh Richardson.
Expect Jaquez’s latest performance to be less of an anomaly and more of a standard as the young player continues to figure out his role in the Heat’s system.
Casey Fahrer is a contributor to Inside The Heat. He can be reached at caseyfahrer716@gmail.com.
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