Miami Heat Legend Shares Reasoning For Drafting Jaime Jaquez Jr. For Rising Stars Game

Jaime Jaquez Jr. was selected for his second consecutive Rising Stars game, and Miami Heat legend Tim Hardaway Sr. coached him.

Although Jaquez's season started on a roller coaster, Hardaway drafted him and teamed up with the first and second-overall picks from the 2024 draft, Zaccharie Risacher, and Alex Sarr.

Hardaway shared his thoughts on picking Jaquez specifically were primarily because of their Heat connection.

“Everybody knows why I drafted Jaime,” Hardaway explained. “Everybody knows. Yes, Heat, Heat, Heat, Heat Culture”.

Jaquez finished with four points, two rebounds, and one assist on 50 percent shooting and 50 percent from three-point range.

Unfortunately, Hardaway’s team was eliminated in the Rising Stars semifinal, preventing them from potentially participating in Sunday’s All-Star game.

The real reason why Tim drafted @jaquez_jr 😎 pic.twitter.com/qo7xNyJWbb
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) February 15, 2025

MIAMI HEAT’S BAM ADEBAYO IS HAVING A RESURGENCE INTO ALL-STAR FORM

Despite being talented enough to overcome playing as an undersized center, Bam Adebayo has finally got his wish from the Miami Heat front office to play next to a true center in Kel’el Ware.

His move to power forward has allowed Ware to receive much-needed playing time at center and Adebayo to have his best stretch of games of the season.

Since Jan. 25, Adebayo is averaging 22.4 points, 11.4 rebounds, and 4.6 assists on 53.4 percent shooting and 41.8 percent from three-point range.

Before moving to power forward, Adebayo was inconsistent offensively. A significant reason for his improvement is Ware. Although their chemistry isn’t perfect, Adebayo has gotten easy assists several times by driving to the basket and dishing off to Ware when the defense collapses.

Adebayo has also improved defensively alongside Ware. Similar to how Giannis Antetokounmpo can roam as a dominant help defender because Brook Lopez is backing him, Adebayo can switch off screens to guard on the perimeter. At the same time, Ware stays back to protect the rim. This has allowed Adebayo to rebound more easily because he’s no longer the only person with size for the Heat to box out.

HEAT VS MAVERICKS TAKEAWAYS: HUGE NIGHT FROM TYLER HERRO NOT ENOUGH

The Miami Heat (25-28) lost their fourth consecutive game against the Dallas Mavericks (30-26) 118-113.

Here’s a look at four major takeaways from the matchup:

1. Tyler Herro was the primary source of offense throughout the game.

Herro finished with 40 points, eight rebounds, and three assists on 50 percent shooting and 21.4 percent from three-point range. He had 17 points in the second quarter. This was an impressive showcase for Herro because it displayed how much he has improved at attacking the basket. The only flaw of his night was shooting 3 of 14 from the perimeter.

2. Kel’el Ware shined as the only center active for the Heat.

Without Bam Adebayo and Kevin Love, Ware was the only big. He finished with 17 points, nine rebounds, and one block on 57.1 percent shooting and missed all three of his attempts from the perimeter. Since being introduced to the starting lineup, Ware originally got a lot of shot attempts. This hasn’t been the case recently, but he took full advantage of the Maverick’s lack of a center.

3. Kyle Anderson had his best game for the Heat so far.

Anderson finished with 15 points, 10 rebounds, and three assists on 60 percent shooting and didn’t attempt any shots from the perimeter. Without Andrew Wiggins due to an illness, the Heat put him in the starting lineup, where he had his first double-double performance since 2023. Because of Jaime Jaquez Jr’s inconsistent season, Anderson may be able to gain more minutes as a key part of the roster as everyone gets healthy after the All-Star break.

4. Alec Burks continues to show his veteran value.

Burks finished with 12 points, seven rebounds, and four assists on 42.9 percent shooting and 40 percent from three-point range. As bleak as the Heat’s offense has been lately, he has not been one of them. Nearly every time he’s gotten at least 20 minutes of playing time this season, Burks has been one of the most productive scorers for them. The Heat needed his scoring because they were missing Wiggins and Adebayo.

Bryan Townes is a contributor to Miami Heat On SI. He can be reached at btownesjr@gmail.com or on X @bryantownesjr11. Follow our coverage on Facebook.