Miami Heat's Jaime Jaquez Jr. Emerging As Strong Sixth Man Of The Year Candidate

Anthony Pasciolla | Aug 21, 2024

Mar 20, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Miami Heat guard Jaime Jaquez Jr. (11) drives against Cleveland Cavaliers forward Georges Niang (20) in the second quarter at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports / David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

The Miami Heat are no strangers to changing their rotation on a weekly basis, largely due to injuries.

While forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. is expected to contribute mostly to the second unit, the 23-year-old could land in the starting five under certain circumstances. This means Jaquez could eliminate himself from Sixth Man of the Year conversations, depending on the health of veteran star Jimmy Butler.

ESPN analysts must expect a strong campaign out of Butler, predicting Jaquez with the fourth highest odds to win Sixth Man of the Year. He received 18 points, or 10 percent of the votes. The three names ahead of him are Malik Monk (38 points), Alex Caruso (38 points), and reigning winner Naz Reid (29 points).

Jaquez started in 20 games during his rookie campaign, a number likely too high for the honors. Reid appeared in the starting lineup just 14 times last year, which some fans considered out of reason. Monk, the favorite to win, did not start in a single matchup for the Sacramento Kings.

The public should expect a strong season from Jaquez, no matter where he falls in the Heat's lineup.

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Anthony Pasciolla works as a contributing writer to Miami Heat On SI. He can be reached at ampasciolla@gmail.com or follow him on X @AnthonyPasci.

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