I would say it’s definitely a sense of urgency,” Jaquez said. “Obviously the playoff are right around the corner. This is the time of the year where everyone contends for a great spot and that’s position that we’re in so the urgency is at an all-time high.”
Jaquez is sure to be vital in Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra’s rotation as he has been all season, especially dealing with the continuous injuries the team has faced. However, the UCLA product has been hit by the injury bug himself as of late in the past week.
He was a late add on to the injury report before last Sunday’s matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers where he eventually sat out the game with left ankle discomfort. Jaquez would go on to play in next Tuesday’s game against the Golden State Warriors where he played 26 minutes as he said to ClutchPoints that he’s been “taking a lot of time with the trainers” and mentioning at this time of the season, the “mental toughness” is showcased.
“I’m feeling good right now,” Jaquez said. “I’ve been taking a lot of time with the trainers, doing everything I can to get my body in a prime position that it needs to be in, but I’m feeling great right now, they’ve been doing a great job with me and I’m feeling good.”
“This is what we’re paid to do is play basketball,” Jaquez continued. “So trying to get out there as fast as I can, especially, things are bothering me and even if they are, still trying to play through little injuries. I mean, it’s not just me, it’s everybody around the league, it’s just that time of the year, 82 games is a long season. And this is where the mental toughness comes in.”
Even in first year, Jaquez understands the hurdles of a typical season
While Jaquez is probable to play Friday against the Portland Trail Blazers, there is no doubt that it has been a frustrating time with injuries for the Heat’s key players like Tyler Herro, Duncan Robinson, Kevin Love, and others. Even though he’s in his first season in the NBA, he understands that there are “hurdles throughout the season” with injuries being one.
“There’s hurdles throughout the season, injuries is one thing that we have to deal with this team along with the rest of the entirety of the league. So with this team, we try to come together, when guys are down, next man up mentality and just give it everything we got.”
The Heat are 39-33 on the season which puts them seventh in the East as their placement can drastically change depending on a win or a loss. But for star Bam Adebayo, he’s not paying too much attention to the standings as he told ClutchPoints Thursday.
“Taking it game by game,” Adebayo said. “You get caught up into standings and how many games we got left, you’ll let something slip so it’s game by game.”
Leave a Reply