Possible Jaime Jaquez Jr filler, a certain defense to be spammed and other keys to Heat-Blazers
A home stand feels odd for the Miami Heat early in the season, after coming off a four game West Coast trip following a road heavy start to the season.
Four straight home games kicked off a night ago in a win over the Charlotte Hornets, but it’s time to get right back to it just 24 hours later on the second night of the back to back.
The injury news continues as Jaime Jaquez Jr’s status is yet to be determined for tonight against the Portland Trail Blazers, after sustaining a left ankle sprain in garbage time against Charlotte.
So let’s get into some keys to this match-up:
Nov 7, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. (11) dribbles the basketball against the Charlotte Hornets during the fourth quarter of an NBA Cup game at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
Before the season, it wasn’t expected that a game without Jaime Jaquez Jr would lead to a ton of offensive drop-off. But that’s just how important he’s been to this team early in the year. Whenever Norman Powell is off the floor, he’s the guy keeping the offense not just afloat, but pushing leads forward as the league’s top plus-minus guy. But if he can’t suit up tonight, who becomes the next guy up? They could always match size and throw Vlad Goldin out there if the rebounding issues continue, but as they lean into this fast offensive style, don’t be shocked if we see a certain Heat rookie make his NBA regular season debut. Aside from that, Andrew Wiggins becomes a key component of this game, as he will have to man down the second unit in a similar way to Jaquez.
Nov 7, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard KJ Simpson (25) drives to the basket against Miami Heat forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. (11) and forward Nikola Jovic (5) during the first quarter of an NBA Cup game at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
In many ways in the current NBA, Erik Spoelstra and the Miami Heat made playing zone defense….cool. A 2-2-1 zone press that backs into a 2-3 zone became a defensive base for Miami for some time. They’ve gotten away from it in terms of volume for much of this season, but with a banged up rotation, it’s time to bring it back. Without any centers aside from Kel’el Ware, it’s simply tough to match-up in man with a lot of the second unit stretches. Plus even deeper than that, this match-up with the Blazers pretty much suggests it. While the Blazers are getting up the fifth most threes a game in the league, they’re bottom ten in percentage at 33.8%. If the Heat can force the Blazers into another inefficient night from deep, it definitely increases their chances.
Jan 27, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat center Kel’el Ware (7) celebrates with forward Nikola Jovic (5) after the game against the Orlando Magic at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
From a battle of working into that starting lineup to a battle of who can find their rhythm first. Kel’el Ware and Nikola Jovic have had shaky starts to the season, both searching for some type of momentum to build off in this young NBA season. But when looking at this match-up with the Blazers, both young guys have found success against them in the past. In the most recent match-up last year, Ware put together a 20 point and 15 rebound night in a nine point loss at home. Rewinding back to the match-up before that, Jovic put together a 21 point, 8 rebound, and 5 assist night off the bench in 32 minutes. They’ve both found ways to breakout into big games against this team, and it’s a perfect time for them to repeat history tonight.
