Miami Heat guard Jaime Jaquez Jr. (11) dribbles up court during the second half of an NBA game against the New Orleans Pelicans at Kaseya Center on January 1, 2025, in Miami. D.A. Varela [email protected]
For as encouraging as Miami Heat forward Jaime Jaquez Jr.’s rookie season was, his second NBA season has been nearly as frustrating.
After establishing himself as a fixture in the Heat’s rotation last season, Jaquez has found himself out of the Heat’s rotation this postseason in the latter stages of a shaky sophomore NBA campaign. Through the first three games of the Heat’s first-round playoff series against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Jaquez has logged just seven minutes of playing time, and they have all come late in lopsided losses.
“Obviously, it’s frustrating as a competitor,” Jaquez said of his diminished playing time, with the Heat looking to avoid the season-ending first-round sweep in Game 4 on Monday night at Kaseya Center. “As a player, you want to be in the game playing. But seasons come with ups and downs. I think more than anything, you take it as a learning experience. It will help you grow as a player and as a person to go through adversity like this. If you make it out to the other side, then you’re going to see what you become.”
Jaquez hopes to become better from this rough season. His production has dipped across the board this season after being named to the NBA’s All-Rookie First Team for his impressive work last season.
This regular season, Jaquez averaged fewer points (8.6 per game) while shooting a worse percentage from the field (46.1%) and three-point range (31.1%) than last regular season. He also averaged 4.4 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 0.9 steals per game in 66 regular-season appearances (17 starts) in his second NBA season. This comes even with Jaquez totaling a career-high 41 points on April 13 in the Heat’s regular-season finale against the Washington Wizards on a day Miami sat most of its regulars because it was already locked into 10th place in the Eastern Conference.
Along with his recent string of DNP-CDs (did not play, coach’s decision) and lack of playing time, Jaquez also missed five games this regular season because of a stomach illness and three games in March because of a sprained right ankle.
“There’s going to be struggles throughout your career,” Jaquez, 24, said. “You don’t want to shy away from those. Obviously, there have been a lot of ups and downs with some bad luck with some illnesses and then obviously getting hurt. But I think it’s given me a great opportunity to just learn, learn a lot about myself and about the game and take this time to just continue to work on my craft, work on my routine and continue to get better as a professional.”
Becoming a more reliable three-point shooter will be among Jaquez’s top priorities this offseason. Not only did Jaquez shoot just 31.1% on threes this regular season, but NBA tracking stats say that 111 of his 119 three-point attempts this regular season were either open or wide open (defender at least four feet away) with teams consistently helping off of him.
“It’s huge,” Jaquez said when asked about the importance of becoming a more efficient outside shooter. “It’s something that I work on continuously every day. It’s something I’m going to work on for the rest of my career. Just continue to be confident in being able to trust my shot and have my teammates trust me, as well.”
For now, Jaquez is just trying to keep things in perspective. As fast as things changed for Jaquez after his standout rookie season, things can change just as quickly after his frustrating second NBA season.
“You look around the league, you look in the past, this happens,” Jaquez said. “I wouldn’t say it’s normal or it’s abnormal. I think it’s just something that can happen when you’re in the league. You can get moved out or you can get moved in at any single time. I think you just take it all as a learning experience.”
Jaquez is now focused on staying ready in case he is called upon to play meaningful minutes in a playoff game while also remaining a supportive teammate.
“Its ultimately the coach’s decision,” Jaquez said of dropping out of the Heat’s rotation after playing in each of the first 45 games he was available for this season. “He’s got to do what he feels is best for the team. If that’s a different direction, then that’s what it is. I just try to stay ready and continue to be a great teammate and encourage the guys and still have a positive attitude.”
Jaquez, who is due $3.9 million next season in the third year of his rookie contract, is also remaining grateful despite his on-court struggles this season.
“I learned that we do live a beautiful life,” he said. “A lot of times we can get so caught up in the now, in these little moments in our life. But it’s always great to take a big look at the bigger picture and realize that this is a blessed life that we get to live.
“I get to play the game of basketball that I love and develop that love through and through throughout the season even when it gets hard. It’s reminding yourself why you do this. It’s for the love of this game. It’s going to give you great things and it’s also going to put you through some tough times.”
