The absence due to injury of Jaime Jaquez opens a great opportunity for this player

MIAMI – Still Miami Heat star Jaime Jaquez Jr. was named Sixth Man of the Year Rewarding his impressive third season in the league, the team is in danger of losing the UCLA product for an unknown amount of time. Doc Jaquez has been a great example for the Heat in realizing their identityhis absence will be missed, as there are players in the squad who could try to fill the void.

Jaquez would suffer a sprained right ankle in the first half of Saturday’s loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, as Miami said he would likely return, but would later be ruled out for the rest of the game. While Jaquez’s injury doesn’t appear to be too serious, his ability to go downhill and be an offensive spark plug as a sixth man will be sorely missed, but luckily, there is one player coming back from injury that could fit the bill.

Pele Larsson has missed the last two games with his own sprained ankle, as he also acted as a powerhouse for the Heat, having the ability to drive to the paint and provide defensive intensity. Miami head coach Erik Spoelstra would say that Larson can fit relatively the same role as Jacquez, but “in a different way.”

“Yeah, (Larsson) can do some of that. He does it in a different way,” Spoelstra said before Sunday’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans. “But pace can take care of some of that, too. It’s going to have to be in a lot of different other baskets.”

“So other guys will be able to touch the paint in their own way, but we’ve got to get our paint numbers up from where they were last night,” Spoelstra continued

Erik Spoelstra continues with the returning Pele Larsson, if he can fill some of those traits that Jaime Jaquez Jr. will miss.

“Yes, he can do some of that, he does it in a different way…” #HeatNation

Full answer: pic.twitter.com/fSM6IiLruU

— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) January 4, 2026

Jaime Jaquez Jr. of the Heat talks about the ankle injury

With Larsson has been labeled as one of the glues of the Heat by many in the team, he hopes to bring at least a fraction of what Jaquez has to offer, along with Nikola Jovic and others from the bench. Seeing Jaquez’s injury, he would accidentally step on it Minnesota star Julius Randle’s leg when he tried to defend the big man, and while he was said to likely return, he will be ruled out after, explaining what caused the confusion.

“I just tried to run, I tried to run, I tried to move around him, and it wasn’t very good,” Jaquez said after Miami’s loss to the Timberwolves on Saturday. “So that prompted that decision.”

Video footage of Jaime Jaquez Jr. talking about his sprained ankle after the game. He would say he wouldn’t know more until tomorrow.

“I think Julius was trying to get me back from what I did to him a few years ago with the Knicks, just kidding…”#HeatNation pic.twitter.com/a2IPfZmTgo

— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) January 4, 2026

Julius Randle breaking the ankle on Jaime Yaquez Jr., who also stepped on Randle’s leg, and being forced to sit out with an injury (with replays) pic.twitter.com/Bj8kZaT3bZ

— MrBuckBuck (@MrBuckBuckNBA) January 4, 2026

Jaquez was in the midst of an impressive season, coming off a frustrating sophomore year after an outstanding rookie campaign. This season, Jacquez leads all bench scorers in total points, averaging 16.2 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game while shooting 53.3 percent from the field as he received a lot of Sixth Man of the Year attention as mentioned earlier.

The 24-year-old was asked if he would play against the Pelicans, saying that while he would have to see the next morning, “these things take time to heal.” He would eventually be eliminated from the competition.

“These things take time to heal. Kind of like what happened last time I had this little tweak. You really know the next day. The next day is kind of a good indicator of where you sit in the game,” Jaquez said Saturday night.

Either way, it remains to be seen when Jaquez will return with the Heat embarking on a four-game road trip after Sunday’s game, which begins Tuesday against the Timberwolves.