Why is Jaime Jaquez Jr. not playing tonight against Boston Celtics? Looking at Heat rookie's condition for Game 5 (May 1)

The Miami Heat will miss rookie Jaime Jaquez Jr. and another key starter, Jimmy Butler, on Wednesday in their potential elimination Game 5 of the first-round Eastern Conference matchup against the Boston Celtics.

Jaime Jaquez Jr. did not travel with the Miami Heat to Boston as he is sidelined with a strained right hip flexor. Jaquez Jr. is one of Miami starters who are unavailable due to injuries, like Terry Rozier (neck) and Jimmy Butler (knee). Additionally, the Heat have been without their standout two-way player, Josh Richardson, for several months following shoulder surgery.

Jaquez, a probable All-Rookie team pick this season from UCLA, started all four games so far, averaging 12.8 points. Only Tyler Herro, Caleb Martin and Bam Adebayo have logged more minutes for Miami than Jaquez in their series against the Celtics.

The Miami Heat face a crucial elimination game, with their only victory in the series coming in Game 2. In that game, they shot an impressive 53.5% from 3-point range, starkly contrasting their shooting performances in the other three games, where they did not exceed 32.4% from beyond the arc.

Despite a formidable effort from Bam Adebayo, who posted 25 points and 17 rebounds in Game 4, the Heat were unable to secure a win.

The Heat have struggled to fill the scoring void left by Jimmy Butler and Terry Rozier. As a result, Miami ranks just 14th among the 16 playoff teams in scoring, averaging only 94.3 points per game. Bam Adebayo has emerged as their lone consistent scoring threat, averaging 22.5 points per game and scoring 20 or more points in each of the four games.

What happened to Jaime Jaquez Jr.?

Jaime Jaquez Jr. first headed to the locker room during the first half of Game 4 due to tightness in his hip, but he was able to return to the court shortly after. Despite his brief comeback, he did not play in the fourth quarter and ended the game with just nine points and two rebounds in 22 minutes.

With Jaquez set to miss the upcoming potential elimination game alongside Terry Rozier and Jimmy Butler, players like Patty Mills, Delon Wright, Haywood Highsmith, Duncan Robinson and Kevin Love could see expanded roles.