Miami Heat Rising Star’s Newest Skill Paves Way For Major Leap

Bryan Townes | Sep 21, 2024

Apr 27, 2024; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat guard Jaime Jaquez Jr. (11) brings the ball up the court against the Boston Celtics in the first half during game three of the first round for the 2024 NBA playoffs at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images / Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

Unlike most teams that rely on new player acquisitions to improve, the Miami Heat focus on internal improvement.

Their player development program is one of the best in the NBA.

Despite many who have grown tired of the Heat running it back with the same core roster, several candidates provide optimism for returning to being one of the most successful teams in the Eastern Conference.

Many point to Bam Adebayo because of his improved three-point shooting in attempts and accuracy. That is important during the year, but the Heat have been successful without Adebayo being a consistent mid-range shooter. There are always shooters around Adebayo who allow him to contribute with playmaking as an offensive hub and be a constant finalist for Defensive Player of the Year.

Many consider Jimmy Butler impactful during the regular season for this team’s success. Butler has a reputation for coasting in the regular season to conserve more energy for the playoffs when he takes his game to another level entirely. A healthy and engaged Butler can ensure the Heat avoid being in a position to be in the play-in tournament for the third consecutive season. 

But to maximize the Heat’s full potential, Jaime Jaquez Jr. polishing his game for an elite sophomore season would is ideal. With the loss of Caleb Martin, having another forward who provides a lot of what the Heat’s best player does on the court would be helpful. Thankfully, Jaquez showed several flashes of playing similar to one of his favorite players, Jimmy Butler, in his rookie season. 

One of the improvements he has been trying to add is consistent three-point shooting. On 3.5 attempts from three-point range, Jaquez averaged 42.9 percent in this year’s summer league. It's a smaller sample size than his rookie season when he averaged 32.2 percent on 2.7 attempts, but improvement in this aspect would benefit his best skill, interior scoring.

Bryan Townes is a contributor to Miami Heat On SI. He can be reached at btownesjr@gmail.com or follow him on X @bryantownesjr11.

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