Jaime Jaquez Jr. spiraled from a surefire building block for the Miami Heat to a walking question mark in astonishingly little time. The Heat are doing everything they can to help the 2023 first-round pick reverse this trend.
He clearly has talent, as he snagged a place on the All-Rookie first team during the 2024-25 NBA season. He also has obvious gaps in his game, though, and he maybe didn't have the best approach last season.
He could rather easily wind up getting lost in the rotation shuffle, especially if sophomore swingman Pelle Larsson can make a big leap. For now, though, Miami is positioning Jaquez for a breakout by including him in its starting five for its first two preseason contests. It's a sensible approach given the Heat's lack of playmaking and desire to pick up the pace, but there aren't many arrows pointing toward an actual turnaround.
A resurgent season from Jaime Jaquez Jr. could help balance the roster, but he hasn't inspired much hope of late.
Jaquez isn't an explosive athlete, nor an electric outside shooter, and that's true even when he's on top of his game. When he's clicking, he's doing so by staying a step ahead of the defense with sound instincts, solid footwork, and quick, on-the-fly decision-making that propels him into crafty drives or savvy passes to open teammates.
In theory, the Heat have a need for a fast-thinking forward like this. Their point guards aren't going to pile up assists, and that'll be the case even when they have a healthy Tyler Herro back on the ball. They can still find an offensive rhythm with enough connective passers around their lead guard.
Jaquez can check that box, plus he's a slick enough mover off the ball to find open spaces and set up passes for his teammates. He can punish smaller players in the low post and zip around bigger, slower ones away from the basket.
Again, you can squint and see how this can work like it did during his rookie year—or even better than before if the career 31.8 percent three-point shooter managed to expand his range.
In a more grounded reality, though, breakout candidate and starter-for-a-reason Nikola Jovic offers a lot of what Jaquez brings, only in greater supply and with a much more reliable jumper. If the Heat are going to up Jovic's involvement, clear out touches for newcomer Norman Powell, give Herro his typical allotment upon his return, and still find developmental chances for their younger players, that doesn't leave Jaquez with many on-ball opportunities.
That would put the pressure on him, then, to rapidly improve his outside shot and become a much more helpful presence on the defensive end. And that's where things start to fall apart in terms of projecting a bounce-back season.
Maybe coach Erik Spoelstra sees something I can't, and perhaps he's just greasing the gears for a huge leap forward. Or, perhaps, the Heat are already scrambling to find solutions for a player they can see slipping out of their young core and losing whatever trade value he had accumulated to this point.
With other younger, higher-upside players on the roster, Miami can only afford to give Jaquez so many shots. He might never get a better one than what he has right now, so he and the Heat better hope he will make the most of it.