Even in a lost season, surely the Miami Heat can find a way to celebrate the success of a player who, individually speaking, had the best year of his rising career: Jaime Jaquez Jr. The NBA's expected Sixth Man of the Year award winner did everything for the Heat this season, and it didn't go unnoticed.
Jaquez spent the entire season virtually coming off the bench, unlike his previous two seasons, where Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra made Jaquez a part-time starter and part-time bench player. This season, Jaquez was moved to the bench full-time, and he excelled masterfully in the role.
Considering how the season ended for Miami, it's difficult to find things to be proud of, but Jaquez should be the exception, thanks to a bounce-back season, and it's why he can accept the Sixth Man of the Year award in good spirits, despite his team not playing in the playoffs.
Jaime Jaquez Jr. did everything the Heat asked of him this season
Surprisingly, Jaquez was linked to trade rumors this past season, leading up to the trade deadline. Considering the big fish the Heat were considering trading for at the time, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Ja Morant, the return would have included one or two of Miami's best young players, and Jaquez certainly falls into that category.
While a trade never materialized, Jaquez never changed his tune, kept his head up, and continued to play the best basketball of his career. Jaquez averaged 15.4 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 4.7 assists; all career-highs when it was all said and done.
Jaquez's shooting efficiency was also some of his best, ending the season shooting 50.7% from the field, including 31.7% from three (which is slightly below his rookie year average of 32.2%, but still not far off). Jaquez almost exactly matched his rookie season's minutes per game of 28 this season, and saw his shooting efficiency go up, which is always a good sign for a developing player.
Even Spoelstra took time to recognize Jaquez's amazing season, despite his team bowing out of the play-in tournament early and missing out on the playoffs.
“He had a great bounce-back year. He went to work last summer and then came back and had such an impactful season for us. He’s one of our most important players in terms of his ability to get into the paint and create things for us. I love the way he improved his passing as well,” said Spoelstra.
What made Jaquez's impact off the bench so impactful was the fact that he was right up there in minutes despite the Heat having a full complement of wing players in Andrew Wiggins, Norman Powell, Nikola Jović, and Simone Fontecchio. Of course, Jović's playing time decreased significantly, likely playing a role in Jaquez's high minutes
There is no doubt that Jaquez could be a starter for the Heat, and he's excelled in that role in the past. That said, it's fair to say this season has shown the best of what Jaquez brings to the table as a second-unit player, and the Heat may have found a lesser version of Manu Ginobili within their ranks. Jaquez packs that scoring punch in the second unit, which can be so valuable for them going into next season.
The Heat may have fallen down this season, and it will take all offseason for them to get back up. As for Jaquez? Well, he was one of the few shining bright spots in Miami, and if they're trying to catch a big fish this offseason, Heat fans are likely hoping Jaquez is not involved. The Heat have something special in Jaquez, and he's only getting started.
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