Why this Heat forward must improve this 1 key skill - Hot Hot Hoops

Heat forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. is shooting just 22.7 percent from 3-point range this season. (Mandatory Credit: Alex Goodlett/Getty Images)

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.

However, there’s still one part of his game that needs to be fine-tuned: His 3-point shooting.

Jaime Jaquez Jr. must continue to develop as a shooter:

Jaquez was a below-average 3-point shooter in his four seasons at UCLA. He shot above 32 percent just once — in 2020-21, when he canned 39.4 percent of his 2.9 attempts — in his career. That has carried over into his NBA career.

As a rookie, Jaquez knocked down 32.2 percent of his long-range attempts (2.7 3PA). Last year, that number slightly decreased to 31.1 percent.

However, so far through 2025-26, that’s plummeted to just 22.7 percent, albeit on 1.6 attempts. Since the start of December, he’s just 3-of-12 from beyond the arc, including a 1-for-5 showing Friday against Boston.

Teams are extra judicious in helping off the 6-foot-6 wing. Opponents are routinely baiting him into taking open 3s while subsequently shutting off driving lanes. While he’s been very successful in his role, a higher conversion rate would add an extra layer that defenses must account for.

Among the 183 non-bigs who have attempted at least 40 3-point attempts this year, Jaquez’s 22.7 percent is the 5th-worst in the NBA.

Dyson Daniels, Hawks — 13.7 percent (7-51)

Amen Thompson, Rockets — 18.4 percent (9-49)

Brandon Williams, Mavericks — 19.2 percent (14-73)

Ja Morant, Grizzlies — 19.4 percent (13-67)

Jaime Jaquez Jr., Heat — 22.7 percent (10-44)

Cooper Flagg, Mavericks — 23.9 percent (22-92)

To add insult to injury, his 30.7 3-point percentage among 184 non-bigs since he’s entered the league is the seventh-worst (min. 300 3PA).

That’s not good enough. And for the Heat to excel in this free-flowing offense, they’re going to have more shooting outside of Tyler Herro, Norman Powell and, occasionally, Bam Adebayo, Kel’el Ware and Simone Fontecchio.

Why this Heat forward must improve this 1 key skill – Hot Hot Hoops

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