Jaime Jaquez Jr. continues to be one of the most perplexing players on the Miami Heat. And with his sudden dip in production lately, it's almost certainly going to cloud his future with the team heading into the offseason.
During the first half of the season, there was an argument to be made that Jaquez Jr. had emerged as one of the bigger surprises for the Heat. He was playing the best basketball of his career, and it seemed as if things had finally "clicked" for the young forward.
However, much of that sentiment has changed over the last handful of games. Since the NBA All-Star break, Jaquez Jr. has averaged just 11 points per game. Taking this sample size out even further, Jaquez Jr. has scored 12 of fewer points or fewer in six of the team's last nine games.
Entering February, Jaquez Jr. was averaging 15 points, five rebounds, and five assists per game on 52 percent shooting from the field. His overall production and efficiency are both down this month.
Explaining Jaime Jaquez Jr.'s recent dip is difficult
It's hard to explain Jaquez Jr.'s sudden slip in production. Could it just be chalked up to the return of Tyler Herro, who needs the ball more? Does it have to do with Erik Spoelstra making an aggressive effort to try to make the Kel'el Ware-Bam Adebayo frontcourt work, which could, unfortunately, come at the expense of Jaquez Jr.?
Has Jaquez Jr. just hit a wall? Have teams caught up to him, and are they defending him better?
Again, this is one of those situations that we need to allow to play itself out before any real conclusions are made, but it's certainly one thing that this Heat's front office will follow closely.
Why? Well, it's simple. Jaquez Jr. has a team option for next season, one that the team will almost certainly exercise. However, as he prepares for the final year of his contract, he'll also be available for a rookie-scale contract extension.
While an extension may have seemed like a real option on the table for Jaquez Jr. earlier this season, his recent play does make it much less likely. Even more so considering how much the Heat has been burned with their decision to sign Nikola Jovic to an early extension this past summer.
Even though you can't completely call the Heat's decision a bust, it certainly hasn't paid off as perhaps they had hoped it would. As you'd imagine, Miami would be hesitant to open that possibility or risk with Jaquez Jr.
Heading into the final stretch of the season, there are so many loose ends that need tying up for the Heat. Defining what type of player Jaquez Jr. is and what he can be is almost certainly near the top of those questions.
Because, right now, it's still very much up in the air.