Davion Mitchell
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The Miami Heat won't have Davion Mitchell or Jaime Jaquez Jr. against the Boston Celtics
The Miami Heat won’t have guard Davion Mitchell or Jaime Jaquez Jr. at home against the Boston Celtics on January 15.
Mitchell exited the game against the Phoenix Suns on January 13 after running into a screen set by Suns center Mark Williams. He had 9 points and 6 assists before exiting.
Following the game, Heat Head Coach Erik Spoelstra was unsure of Mitchell’s status.
“He’s sore, he got crushed on one of those screens, so we’ll see how he feels tomorrow,” Spoelstra said.
The Heat, who have been plagued with injury issues throughout the season, officially ruled out Mitchell with a shoulder contusion.
As the Heat’s true starting point guard, Mitchell has been one of the best distributors not just on the team, but arguably in the NBA.
His 7.3 assists per game are the ninth highest in the league and his 4.4 assist-to-turnover ratio is the fifth highest in the NBA.
Mitchell has been one of the few Heat players this season to miss minimal time due to injury. He’s played in 38 of the Heat’s 40 games and leads the team in starts.
Only guard Dru Smith and center Kel’el Ware have played more games for the Heat this season.
Miami Heat Will Also be Without Jaime Jaquez Jr.
Jaime Jaquez Jr.
GettyThe Miami Heat won’t have their Sixth Man of the Year award candidate, Jaime Jaquez Jr., against the Boston Celtics.
Miami Heat guard Jaime Jaquez Jr. was also ruled out on Thursday with a knee injury, marking his third missed game in January.
Jaquez didn’t appear to clearly injure his knee at any point in the game against the Phoenix Suns. He injured his ankle against the Minnesota Timberwolves earlier in the month.
He finished with 16 points and 8 assists against the Suns.
“I thought Jaquez was fantastic,” Suns Head Coach Jordan Ott said. “He’s tough. You play off him because he’s such a physical driver and then he made the right plays down the stretch.”
He’s been one of the most impactful players for the Heat this season. Jaquez is second on the team in plus/minus at +115.
Jaquez and Mitchell have combined for a plus/minus of +249, higher than the rest of the Heat’s roster combined. From that perspective, the Heat are missing their two winningest players against the Celtics.
When will the Miami Heat see Davion Mitchell and Jaime Jaquez Jr. Return?
For now, there’s no exact timeline on when Davion Mitchell or Jaime Jaquez Jr. will return to the court.
For Mitchell, a shoulder contusion doesn’t appear to be too serious. He was initially listed as a game-time decision before being downgraded to out.
He could return for the Heat’s next game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday, January 17.
For Jaquez, his return is a little less clear. When he sustained his knee injury is unknown, so it’s more difficult to place an exact date on his return. His exact injury is left knee soreness.