Before the season, Zach Lowe posited that the Miami Heat secretly hoped Jaime Jaquez Jr. would win the fifth starting job in training camp. I thought he was right at the time, but that didn’t mean the Heat were simply going to hand over a starting role to Jaquez.
Fast forward to the start of the season, and it was Nikola Jovic who emerged as the fifth starter alongside Terry Rozier, Tyler Herro, Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo. Jaquez didn’t make his first start until mid-December as an injury replacement for Butler. His season, as a whole, has been a disappointment.
In his second season, Jaquez is averaging fewer points, shooting a lower percentage and playing fewer minutes than he did during a standout rookie season. Lately, he’s been an afterthought in the rotation.
It wasn’t long ago that Jaquez was being talked about as the bridge to the next era of Heat basketball. Now, it’s a question of whether he’ll be part of it at all.
It's been a tough season for Jaquez.
Jaquez hasn’t been as potent as he was as a rookie, when he was a factor in several Heat wins. Here’s a quick dive into some of the more crucial numbers:
Rookie season
- Nine 20-point games
- Shooting 47.4% on non-restricted area paint attempts
- 32.4% on corner 3s
- 4.0 Win Shares
This season
- One 20-point game
- 39% on non-restricted area paint attempts
- 27.4% on corner 3s
- 1.9 Win Shares
It’s difficult to pinpoint the reason for Jaquez’s slump. An ankle injury derailed the beginning of his season and it’s fair to wonder if he was ever 100% physically. He had 29 dunks as a rookie, compared to just nine this season. It’s been a long time since we saw this rookie burst.
“He's had three or four times this season where he's really started to find where his role can be,” coach Erik Spoelstra said earlier this season. “And then usually something would happen, change of rotation or an injury or an illness.”
The Heat have to hope this is just a sophomore slump. With Butler gone, the offense can use Jaquez’s physicality and advanced post-play he flashed as a rookie. There are plenty of examples of players responding to tough second seasons with good careers.
As one scout told the Miami Herald, “Jaquez, to me, can still be a good player.”
Jaquez is far from a lost cause, but he also might not factor into Miami’s longterm plans in the same way he did a year ago.
With Butler gone, the Heat are in the market for a new star player. They reportedly talked with the Phoenix Suns about Kevin Durant before the trade deadline and are expected to pick up conversations this summer. Jaquez could be part of a trade package for Durant or any other star player.
It would have been hard to imagine the Heat parting ways with Jaquez after his standout rookie season, but now that option has to be on the table.
