Should Miami Heat Give Jaime Jaquez Jr More Minutes?

Miguel Mike Medina | 3 Hours Ago

Oct 15, 2024; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat guard Jaime Jaquez Jr. (11) drives to the basket against San Antonio Spurs center Charles Bassey (28) during the third quarter at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Miami Heat forward Jaime Jaquez Jr enters sophomore season with the potential to elevate his game.

Jaquez and the Heat got off to a lousy start after getting decimated by the Orlando Magic 116-97. 

Jaquez finished with 13 points and five rebounds on 4 of 9 shooting in 19 minutes.

Should the Heat increase his playing minutes?

Jaquez spoke with reporters after the game and discussed the third quarter. 

“I think just the rebounding overall,” Jaquez said. “We couldn’t get any rebounds, couldn’t finish possessions. Offensively, I thought we got a little bit stagnant. They came ready to play, and we came out flat in the third quarter. That’s something we’re going to need to work on.”

Jaquez looks for ways to score. Playmaking is part of his game, but it is still in development. The silver lining about Jaquez’s performance against the Magic was his willingness to be fearless and not give up on a play. 

At the beginning of the second quarter, Jaquez drove to the paint. Jonathan Issac blocked him twice, but he got the offensive rebound the third time and put the ball in the basket. 

It’s only the first game of the season. Jaquez would do fine being the leader of the second unit. 

However, if the Heat’s offense continues to struggle in the next three to five games, coach Erik Spoelstra should consider making a change and move Jaquez to the starting lineup. 

Miguel Mike Medina is a contributor to Miami Heat On SI. He can be reached at medinamiguelmike@gmail.com

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