Jaquez Jr., Jakučionis, Ware, Spoelstra | Postgame Interviews | October 8, 2025

Jaquez Jr., Jakučionis, Ware, Spoelstra | Postgame Interviews | October 8, 2025

I mean, it always seems like you’re a guy if you can get to your game, that aggressive attacking game, maybe you couldn’t do as much when you were playing point guard in the first two games. Do you sense nights when you feel like I’m getting to my game, this is what I do when you get more in that attack mode? Um, for sure. I think, you know, different uh different places in this team, you got to play different roles. You know, sometimes starting want to be a little bit more of a facilitator trying to get guys going. Um, you know, coming in the second unit, want to get downhill, get some drives going. Um, but I think at the end of the day, you know, getting downhill, whether it’s facilitating or scoring, um, trying to do those little things to help my team get in the best position possible. I mean, I know after last season, everyone’s talking about the shooting. You even mentioned it. You went back to that, but you sort of got to move past that at some point like tonight there was nothing forced. There was, you know, none of the threes, even though we they know that you want threes from you. What’s it like to sort of get on your game and sort of put the outside noise aside? Yeah, I just stopped putting pressure on myself um to, you know, make or miss threes. You know, if I make it, miss it, don’t it, don’t stop letting it affect me. I think last year I was trying to put too much emphasis and pressure on myself to try to just be that. Um and this year I’m just focusing on, you know, my strengths and one of those strengths is just getting downhill, you know, creating for my team and, you know, sometimes for myself and whatever that may be. When you got downhill today, there were a few times where they collapsed in the paint and found Norm for a three early in the game. How much more comfortable do you feel in that role when they do show extra bodies that you you’re able to find a um feel a lot more comfortable I think just watching a lot of film learning from a lot of mistakes from my mistakes from last year um and just applying that into this year. So that’s really that’s really all I’ve been doing just watching a lot of film. I know cut out like mid-ranges a little bit last year. You kind of got back to that mid post thing that you got to in your rookie season. Just how much do you like getting back to your back to the basket game mid post? N I love it man. It’s a game I’ve been playing a lot my entire life really. Um, you know, I think it just helps settle sometimes, especially with that second unit. A lot of young guys, um, just trying to settle, get get settled and, you know, move. And I think our offense is moving really well. I thought we did a lot of great things. Um, and we’re sharing the ball and playing with a lot of pace. It’s been great. Can you talk about what you saw from a guy like Cass who kind of was like really sharing the ball, facilitating kind of that connection early. Can you kind of just talk about what he Yeah, for sure. I mean, this was the first time I really got to see him play up close. I know, you know, had had some injuries, was out a little bit, but I was extremely impressed. So, I was really proud of how he played. He’s such a hard worker and a great listener. So, you know, anytime anyone wants to coach him up, he’s there to listen. He He’s been tremendous and I was really happy to see great facilitator. He had an outstanding game tonight. Appreciate it. Thank you. Yeah, I don’t expect anything, you know. I’m just going there and trying to do my job and whatever uh situation I get, I try to do that. Whatever coach tells me, I’m trying to to do. That is good. the way the ball was moving. Uh you had four assists in your first four minutes and kept going from there. Did you feel in a flow? Is it the team’s offense that put you in a flow? How did that comfort zone come so quickly? I don’t know. I’m just trying to play uh fast even though I think we could even play faster today. Uh but everything just comes from practice. Try to to do my job. You know, that that two-man connection with Khal was on display tonight. How much do you enjoy playing with him as just a kick and roll partner? Uh, a lot to be honest. Yeah, I didn’t play a lot in the offseason. Uh, I mean, summer league obviously, but here we didn’t get to play a lot uh through some circumstances. But now I’m enjoying a lot and uh hopefully more and more connection we’ll get to each other. There was a there was a play where I think you kind of got stuck in the baseline without your dribble and then you turned and you just threw it up knowing that are you just throwing it up knowing he’s the only one that can go get it. No. Yeah. I was going for for the love for him cuz you know he’s long tall and he can jump too. So I think if you throw he will get it. Is this how you envisioned it? I’m just kind of curious. In other words, your first game out there going out in a game like this that it would feel so much in place or did you sort of surprise yourself for day one that you sort of fit in so well? Yeah, like I said, don’t expect anything. I’m just going there and playing basketball. Two days ago, after we spoke to coach, he sort of issued a challenge. How much did you take his challenge to heart in the last two days? And how much different do you think your effort was? your productivity contributing more toward a positive outlook today? I mean, you know, I always take anything, you know, SP says to me is that, you know, motivation and, uh, you know, I take it and I try to, you know, impact it into my game and I try to, you know, play as hard as I can, you know, like I said, you know, last interview. So, I’m still, well, I was still getting, you know, my legs, I guess, back in front of me from training camp, but, uh, you know, now that’s it. So, you seem to be really enjoying playing with Cass today. What’s it like playing with a guy who can get you the ball like that? Well, no, it’s always fun playing with a great point guard. So, uh, you know, him, Pella, really just any point guard that’s out there that’s able to, you know, come off the screen, either get the layup, you know, even Norm, he had a couple floats, you know, like off the screen. So, it’s always good playing with guards just able to, you know, run and pick and roll with me. What felt what felt better about tonight maybe compared to the other nights? Was it having like you mentioned those guards or was it something different that kind of led to this type of performance? Maybe. No, no, like you said, you know, get my legs back up under me from training camp. So, it’s really Yeah. And SP was talking about how you know Cass and you it’s almost like a natural connection even besides the small sample size. Do you kind of feel that as well? And what do you like about his game? Yeah, of course. I mean know he’s a I feel like he’s more of a pass versus point guard. Um and you know when you got a big that’s I guess you know that’s a lot there and he’s able to create space for not me but just you know him as well. But uh you know that’s just a great you know chemistry that’s that would be able to be built. Hello. We had this moment in summer league where coach said something. We talked to you the next day. You had a big game. We spoke about that same situation here. How much do you take to heart when you see or hear or maybe your friends or someone tells you that coach is sort of demanding more? How much does that resonate with you? Did it bother you? Did you sort of sit down and take stock? Like what’s it like when you have those moments? I mean, no, it it doesn’t ever bother me. Um, like I said, you know, you take is motivation. Uh, you know, try to come out the next game better and try to, you know, follow the games after that with it. So, okay. coach, among the standouts obviously was the debut of Cass. Can you just kind of talk about the impact he had? It seemed like straight away, right from the impact with um you know, he’s been around um you know, really since uh right after summer league. So, we’ve been able to see him in his workouts. Uh you see his tenaciousness and uh just his approach to everything, his full speed. Uh you know, he has a kamicazi element to him. him and Pella are gonna spend a lot of time on the ground. Um, but you know, he’s like jet fuel. He just like immediately you feel like his energy and his um, you know, his speed um, when it was great to have him out there. It was fun. That was fun. Like those minutes. Uh, you know, we didn’t get the win, but the second unit played winning basketball. It was it was really good basketball. It was fun to watch. you could you really respected how hard they competed. Uh you know, did a lot of right things uh to be able to uh put yourself in a position to win. U we just didn’t make some of the shots down the stretch, but that’s what you want. You want to be able to put yourself in a position to win uh every single night. Uh and they laid it all out there. Um that was that was a it was fun to to see that group compete like that. Obviously, Cass Pella and his men were was really good. Uh, Haime was good and then of course Kell um, you know, he put a lot of it together tonight. His pick and roll coverages were were really good. Um, he was protecting the basket. He was closing out when he needed to. Um, uh, rebounded the ball very well and he was playing with force. My favorite play was I mean the the the lob dunk. I I actually diagrammed that same play the other night, but Cass put it probably about where it was the other night, but he just went up K went up there and got it. Uh, but my favorite play was when he had an opportunity to shoot a three at the top of the key and he just drove it so hard. It It reminded me of the play he had the other night where they called it travel, but I thought it was the right play. Uh, and he also made some plays where he got into the paint uh and sprayed it out, you know. So, um, you know, so that that that’s definitely progress and, uh, like I said, that whole, uh, second unit played winning basketball. How, how rare and unique is Kaz’s just playmaking ability at 19 years old? Um, and what have you noticed about just that playmaking instinct of his in the first few months you guys have had him in the building? Yeah, he has a vision. Uh, you know, and I think that that led to some of the turnovers um, probably in college. uh you know, he’s he’s willing he’s courageous enough to to try to make the play. Uh so he has the vision and he’s willing to to try to make it and sometimes he just makes the easy play, just gets off it and um you know, that’s what receivers like to get, you know, it’s just kind of an early ball where they can go make a play. Um he did that several times. Um he’ll pitch it ahead. uh you know so I think he did a lot of things to you know to get the 10 assists. Um but he you could see a natural connection between him and Khil. I was just going to ask about that. Where is that connection coming from the work that they’ve done in the offseason or is that just what you get when you have a playmaker and a target like those? think it’s more of that. I mean, yeah, they’ve they’ve played together, you know, some, but um I think it’s more a product of Kala’s great hands. He’s vertical threat. Um Cass sees it and he can deliver it, but he also can deliver the pocket pass. Kind of set you up and and let you know the big do the rest of the work. Uh you know, so th that’s a a good quality. Um, and if you have kind of a synergy between, you know, a couple guys, I think that’s definitely a good thing. Particularly young guys, you know, that’s probably sometimes tougher to to get. It seems with Haimey, if he’s cast in a certain role, doesn’t feel like he has to force the outside shot and can play with aggression, we see more of what we saw tonight. Just your thoughts on him sort of getting maybe to his best game or a better game tonight. Well, you know, he had a a terrific play uh in the first quarter um where he drove in into the defense and and drew a crowd and they just pivoted and and threw it out to Norm. Um you know, and that’s part of his his uh development. He’s really competitive, so he’s going to compete defensively. um you know, he has some things that he, you know, he has to overcome sometimes with the quicker guards, but it’s not from a lack of, you know, hustle or competition. Uh and then on the other side, offensively, he’s he’s such a downhill force um that he’s going to attract, you know, helpside defenders. Um so, naturally, he has to evolve and and make enough plays to keep the defense honest. uh because we need him to be aggressive. I don’t want to take away the aggressiveness. That’s his probably his best offensive skill. He has great footwork and all of those things and make enough plays and you you help generate some easy shots for other guys. Uh then it opens up your own driving angles and you know he did uh he did a pretty good job of both those things tonight. You got some different lineups tonight. One of them was Norm with the second unit and he ran off like a quick five points there. That’s obviously going to be something pivotal for you guys this season, at least early in the season. What do you kind of like about him kind of just maning down? He’s a scorer. I would have liked to have him there in the last six minutes, right? Because all those other guys were doing everything else. Everything else. The defense was uh was fun to watch the the hustle, the efforts, uh you know, the Cass Kh combination, but they could have used, you know, somebody where you could just throw the ball to. Um, you know, so whether we get to that or not, Norm’s played in so many different roles uh over the course of his career. He’s been in second units, he’s been in first units where they put him in the second unit. Uh, you can see where that could work. Uh, particularly, you know, while we um have Tyler, you know, uh, getting back. Um, so we’ll just see. You know, I wanted to look at not just sub in hockey style tonight, just, you know, a little bit more of a normal rotation. It’s been an uneven start offensively for Bam. Um, has he gotten to his game yet? Have you gotten to his game yet? And is there any level of sort of wanting to get him going being Yeah, tonight was a a little bit better. Just the shots didn’t go down. You know, we got him a little bit more in his sweet spots. Um, and you know, again, like it’s it’s all of it, you know, the playmaking, the dribbling it up, like getting him at the elbows, getting him sometimes in the mid post, uh, letting him play off of other guys with with space. Um, you know, I think he had a couple more opportunities, uh, you know, to get assists that were were turnovers. Um, but that’ll get cleaned up in in the preseason. Thanks, coach. Thank you.

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Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kasparas Jakučionis, Kel’el Ware and Erik Spoelstra spoke to the media following Wednesday night’s game vs. the San Antonio Spurs

0:00 Jaime Jaquez Jr.
2:35 Kasparas Jakučionis
4:14 Kel’el Ware
6:15 Erik Spoelstra

MIA vs. SAS Boxscore:
https://www.nba.com/heat/gamedayhub?gameID=0012500003

Coup’s Takeaways 📝:
https://www.nba.com/heat/news/coups-takeaways-ware-jakucionis-chemstry-san-antonio-preseason

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