If Jaime Jaquez Jr. is going to clear the hump of a pretty unfortunate sophomore slump, he's going to have to solve the huge inconsistency questions that have plagued him dating back to his days at UCLA. Heading into his all-important third season with the Miami Heat, that has to be the biggest concern for both sides.
After a strong rookie season for the Heat, Jaquez took a sizable step back with an incredibly inconsistent second year. Sure, he battled injuries for much of the season, and even made the decision to put the team first and play hurt, but there is no question that he'll need to put it all together if he's going to have a big bounce-back year.
The potential is there for Jaquez. That's never been an issue for him. However, it's that strong skill set combined with his inconsistency that makes his potential all the more blurry for the Heat moving forward.
The red flags coming out of college
Coming out of college, Jaquez's inconsistency questions are one of the biggest reasons why he fell to the Heat at No. 18. They absolutely weren't the only reason why Jaquez ultimately fell out of the lottery, but it certainly played a big factor.
And after his strong rookie season, in which he finished fourth in the Rookie of the Year voting, the hope was that Jaquez had started to turn a corner on those concerns.
His sophomore season, in which he regressed in almost every important statistical area, did not push that narrative forward. Now, as he prepares for his third season with the Heat, all of those questions are naturally resurrecting.
The Heat need to make a decision on his future soon
With some huge team-building questions on the horizon for the Heat, this has automatically evolved into a huge season for Jaquez. It's not only the fact that Miami needs to sort out which young players are building blocks and which are not. But it's also the fact that after this season, Jaquez just has one year left on his contract.
They'd either have to choose to sign him to a contract extension next summer, when he becomes eligible, or roll the dice and let him play out the final year of his deal, opening the door for him to enter restricted free agency.
Either way, some sort of decision needs to take place over the course of this upcoming basketball season.
Whether Jaquez solves his inconsistency issues will certainly be at the forefront of the Heat's conversations regarding his future behind closed doors. It could, without a doubt, determine whether his NBA future is in Miami or not.