After the Miami Heat saw young players exceed expectations last season and Caleb Martin walk away in free agency, they will need to make some adjustments. The offseason didn't bring many changes in the way of outside help partly because of Miami's already-bloated payroll. So this is the team right now, with 14 players under standard contracts.
If the Heat want to improve next season, these three players will have to improve in new roles.
1. Jaime Jaquez Jr.
With Caleb Martin gone, Jamie Jaquez Jr. will have more responsibility. Jaquez had the ball in his hands a lot in his two Summer League games, suggesting he could be used on the ball more next season.
Jaquez was used as the lead ball-handler in pick-and-rolls with rookie center Kel'el Ware, and it should be no surprise that the second-year player dominated in Las Vegas. However, he did have five turnovers, but the point of Summer League is to work on your game. Miami doesn't have a pure point guard on the roster, and instead has multiple ball handlers who can create offense. Jaquez will get a lot of reps this season with the ball in his hands.
Defensively, Jaquez still needs to improve to help the Heat replace Martin, but he offers similar size and athleticism and should get better on that end.
It looks like Jaquez will be Miami's Swiss army knife. Giving him more responsibility will only help improve his game. Year 2 will be an essential year for Jaquez's development.