As Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Nikola Jovic continue to make big steps forward in their individual developments, the Miami Heat have a great problem on their hands. Which player should be the sixth man? Both have a great argument for the job.
And Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra has to be loving it.
At least for now, Jaquez Jr., in somewhat surprising fashion, appears to be holding the slight lead. However, Jovic has shown signs of brilliance in his own right. If he can figure out how to put it all together, the Heat could have two great sixth-man candidates on their roster pretty soon.
Either way, this unique problem is something that the Heat have welcomed this season. Especially considering how much they struggled with overall bench production a year ago.
The fact that the Heat has the highest scoring bench in the NBA through 11 games is a great sign for where this team is compared to last season. And you can't begin to talk about the success of the Heat's bench this season without bringing up both Jaquez Jr. and Jovic.
But perhaps the most interesting part of this all is the fact that while it was expected for Jovic to be a key contributor to the Heat this season, that wasn't exactly the case for Jaquez Jr. In fact, heading into the start of this season, there were huge questions about his role altogether.
Jaime Jaquez Jr. has made a leap no one expected
After taking a slight step back last season, it was impossible to predict what the Heat could realistically expect from Jaquez Jr. Starting out with a strong preseason, Jaquez Jr. has carried that momentum into an impressive start to the regular season.
Through the first few weeks of the season, there's an argument to be made that Jaquez Jr. hasn't just had a good start to the year, but that he's emerged as the team's second-best player. With Tyler Herro on the mend, and with Bam Adebayo also currently injured, Jaquez Jr. has done a tremendous job in ensuring that the Heat hasn't missed much of a beat.
In fact, in the three games without Bam, the Heat is 3-0. While I wouldn't say Jaquez Jr. is the only reason why, he is averaging 18 points, 11 rebounds, and eight assists per game over that stretch.
Even though it may seem a bit premature, Jaquez Jr. may have quietly made the star leap right before our eyes.
And Jovic may not be that far behind. He's two games removed from arguably the best single-game performance of his career, in which he dropped 29 points, nine rebounds, and six assists in a win over the Portland Trail Blazers.
Sure, Jovic hasn't been as consistent as Jaquez Jr. so far this season, but both players are supremely talented and play a huge part in what has been the league's best bench unit.