#jaime-jaquez-jr

#jaime-jaquez-jr

Miami Heat forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. exited Saturday's game against the Minnesota Timberwolves early with a sprained right ankle, the team announced. He will not return. Initially, the team indicated that he was "likely" to return, just to rule him out shortly thereafter. The third-year wing finished with just six points, three rbeounds, one assist and one steal in 10 minutes. He made three of his five field goal attempts - all in the paint.

Even through all the ups and downs, third-year Miami Heat forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. has fit seamlessly into the team's new free-flowing, up-tempo offense. Jaquez is currently fifth on the team in scoring off the bench, averaging 15.4 points on 51.2 percent shooting and 56.4 percent true shooting. He's been one of the league's best sixth men, adding 5.8 rebounds and 4.8 dimes per game. Plus, he's finishing at the rim at a career-best clip (70.4 percent) while developing more counters to create advantages.

The quiet story from the second half of the 2024-25 season, however, was Jaquez's profound leap forward as a shooter. It was right in line with a clear all-around improvement that showcased the extreme nature of his untapped potential. That's great news for the Heat, which have a valid reason to believe that Jaquez can make the leap in year three and live up to his potential as one of the most well-rounded young players in the NBA.