The Miami Heat are in the middle of a run that could have significant implications for their playoff hopes, so it's a good thing their current six-game winning streak can be extended this week during a two-game home stand.
While the Heat have turned it on lately, Jaime Jaquez Jr. is quietly one of the Heat's best players and has been consistently all season long. He's scored double digits in eight of his last 11 games and is shooting 50% from the floor this year, which is a career-best for him. His offensive efficiency has improved drastically.
In fact, Jaquez is enjoying career-best numbers in a few box score categories, and it's proving the Heat right when they decided to draft and develop Jaquez, because it's clearly working. That said, one element of Jaquez's game could be more efficient, and if it were, he could instantly become a 20-point scorer in the NBA.
Jaime Jaquez Jr. needs to sort out his 3-point shooting
Jaquez's three-point shooting percentage this season is his worst in his three years in the league. In his rookie and second year, he shot above 30%, but is well below that mark this season, aat 28.8%. While his field goal percentage has gone up each season, his three-point percentage has continued to drop.
Evidently, his long-range shooting needs significant work. Of course, Jaquez is well aware of this and admits he focuses on confidence and consistency when shooting from beyond the arc. Over the past five games, Jaquez has gone 8 for 13 from three — a much better percentage compared to the previous four games, going 2 for 10.
After the Heat picked up a win over the Charlotte Hornets last week, Jaquez's three-point stat line looked the best it had in weeks prior, 4-6. Recently, he was asked about what part of his game he works on the most, and if his three-point shot was one of those areas.
“No, not really. I'm just trying to continue to play my game,” Jaquez said. “And if I get the shots, I just shoot them. I work on my three every single day. It's something that I continuously try to get better at. And shooting isn't linear. You're gonna have ups, you're gonna have downs…So just continue to shoot with confidence.”
So, it sounds like Jaquez actually is focusing on his deep shot, despite how he started his answer. Every young player has at least one area, whether on defense or offense, that they should zero in on daily; otherwise, there will be no growth. Jaquez focusing on shooting threes every day will only help him in the long run and hopefully a lengthy NBA career.
He's averaging 15.3 points per game this season. If Jaquez were knocking down his threes with more consistency, he would average over 20 points. The Heat have something valuable in Jaquez, and in another season or two, he could be one of their leading scorers, without question; he's already that good.