The Heat need more from recent first-round picks Jaime Jaquez and Nikola Jovic if they want to improve their middling 8-8 record, according to Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel (subscription required).
Both players appeared to be on the rise last season. Jaquez earned a spot on the All-Rookie First Team, while Jovic started his final 26 games of the ’23/24 campaign. However, they haven’t been as effective to open ’24/25, with both seeing their minutes reduced; Jovic was a healthy scratch in each of the past two games.
Here’s more on the Heat:
- What’s behind Jaquez’s slow start? Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald tackles that question in a mailbag, writing that the second-year forward is actually attempting more shots in the restricted area — typically a good thing — but is making fewer of those looks (51.1% vs. 65.4% last season). The former UCLA star has also missed a handful of games due to a stomach illness and sprained ankle, Chiang notes.
- Veteran guard/forward Josh Richardson admits he was disappointed that the shoulder injury he sustained last season forced him to pick up his $3.05MM player option for ’24/25, Winderman writes in another story. “It is what it is,” Richardson said. “I’m happy to be playing basketball. I wish it could have turned out different, because I thought I started playing good basketball when I got hurt last season. But that’s life, and you can’t live with regrets. So I’m just trying to work my way back, make the best of this year.” The 31-year-old, who will be an unrestricted free agent next summer, has been in and out of Miami’s lineup due to a nagging heel injury, but his role appears “murky” even when he’s available, Winderman adds.
- Miami dropped to 1-2 in NBA Cup play following Tuesday’s loss to Milwaukee. The Heat will need plenty of help to advance to the quarterfinals even if they defeat Toronto on Friday. Chiang has the details.
That zombie heat season is looking the worst thing that could have happened to them.
Heat have lost so many games b/c of missed fts already this year, as well as a couple of more b/c they can’t hold on to rebounds at the end of possessions…
Is Spo done with the purposeful clown rotation, yet? This isn’t the season for it. It sounds like now he’s searching, but I suspect he already knows
Herro, Richardson, Duncan Robinson, Jimmy, Bam
Or Herro, Richardson, Jimmy, Highsmith, Bam
Or Herro, Larrson/Dru Smith, Jimmy, Highsmith, Bam
I’d been wanting to start Duncan and Highsmith for multiple years at 1 point, so I’ll accept this lineup for now, even though Herro isn’t the defender Kyle was in that spot. Jimmy shifts over to a guard spot in this Herro. Jimmy, Duncan, Highsmith, Bam lineup…it depends on matchups and who actually plays off the bench though
Jaime at the 4/5/1 off the bench this year, slightly different from last year, but also, should mostly be on the floor with some combination of 3 of Highsmith, Burks, Dru Smith, Larsson, Jimmy, Richardson, Bam
I said this whole time Rozier and Jovic shouldn’t be starting. Jovic is now more important, with Jaime getting hurt, but he should be used as a 5/4 off the bench, depending on Kevin Love/matchups. Jovic has single handedly cost them a lot on both sides of the floor in several games so far, and should argublably be playing big minutes in the G-league, to hopefully be more ready later this year when the pressure is on him to show he can be a legit rotation player mov9ng forward, without being such a negative in certain situations so often
Dru Smith is also too good to not be on a standard deal, and should be an option as a starter or in the rotation, at least against certain matchups