Coming into the 2024-25 season with basically the same roster as last year, it was pivotal for the Miami Heat's young core to develop into key contributors who could move the needle. Jaime Jaquez Jr. was one of those key players.
Jaquez started the season on the wrong foot as he dealt with injuries and a shooting slump, but Heat coach Erik Spoelstra still believed he could figure it out.
“He’s been working at it and that’s all you can do right now," Spoelstra said in December. "He’s due for some really solid basketball."
Asked Erik Spoelstra about Jaime Jaquez Jr.’s progress of adapting as the league starts to scout and game plan against him.
— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) December 20, 2024
“He’s been working at it and that’s all you can do right now…he’s due for some really solid basketball…” #HeatNation pic.twitter.com/f3ncivgLqr
Three months after Spoelstra's statement, unfortunately the complete opposite has happened.
Before the season began, it was fair to expect Jaquez to have his fair share of struggles when teams became more familiar with his strengths and weaknesses after a standout rookie season.
But the Heat expected Jaquez ultimately to adjust and make an impact. Instead, he still looks lost. Because of his poor play, Spoelstra has removed him from the essential rotation. Jaquez has played just nine minutes during Miami's three-game win streak.
Before the season, Jaquez knew he needed to improve his perimeter shooting.
"My three-point shooting, that’s an area that I really wanted to improve," Jaquez told the Miami Herald. "I feel like I needed to improve if we wanted to, as a team, make the strides and jumps that we need to try to win a championship."
Last season, Jaquez shot 32.2% from 3-point range on nearly three attempts. In an area where Jaquez acknowledged that he needed to improve, his percentages only got worse. He is currently shooting 29.5% from beyond the arc.
Opponents aren't guarding Jaquez from deep and that's impacting the stronger areas of his game. The backdoor cuts are nearly non-existent, and it's become harder for him to score in the areas he likes when opposing players aren't falling for the fakes or being surprised by his physical drives.
The times Jaquez has had success is mainly with the ball in his hands in transition or in mismatches. But with the offense centered around Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro along with Andrew Wiggins now seeing an increase in usage, it's hard to find a spot for Jaquez to thrive.
This season has been a disaster for Jaquez. But hopefully Spoelstra taking him out of the rotation will result in a wakeup call and motivates Jaquez to add more elements to his game so he can once again become a key component to Miami's success.