Miami Heat’s Jaime Jaquez Jr. had a forgetful sophomore season. Will his year long struggles keep him on the roster moving forward? (Photo via Imagn Images)

The player review series is officially back! We are nearly one month removed from the conclusion of the 2024-25 Miami Heat season, which was one of the worst since the turn of the century. Over the next several (week)days, we will be reviewing how each Heat player performed throughout the 2024-25 season, recapping important numbers, best game(s) and their future outlook with the team. Today, we will be reviewing sophomore forward Jaime Jaquez Jr.

Let’s dive into it— and if you’ve missed any of our previous reviews, click below!

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Brief Overview:

2024-25 stats (66 games):

8.6 PTS

4.4 REB

2.5 AST

0.9 STLS

20.7 MIN

46.1 FG%

31.1 3P%

54.3 TS%

Unfortunately for Jaquez Jr., his second season in the association was a disaster. From being in and out of the rotation, to suffering a stomach bug that had him sidelined, all the way to the on-court struggles— it was all underwhelming. Despite his promising rookie campaign the season prior, it didn’t take long for opposing defenses to figure out Jaquez’s game and footwork. He was ultimately a shell of that once promising rookie self all season long.

Although he is still young and plenty of time left to turn things around, his struggles in the 2024-25 campaign could be enough for his Heat tenure to be short lived. He, along with a few other roster pieces, will likely be dangled in trade talks this offseason to improve the team.

Numbers To Note:

20.7 – After being an integral part of coach Erik Spoelstra’s rotation a year ago, it was a completely different story this season. In Jaquez’s rookie year, he played nearly 29 minutes. That number dipped all the way down to 20.7 minutes per game. In fact, there were several stretches where Jaquez received DNP’s, coaches decision. And in the games that he did get some action, he looked like a negative. His scoring and shooting touch around the paint took a gradual decline.

Additionally, his defense seemed to stay stagnant at best to his rookie season, if not also declined.

31.1 – Going into this past season, Jaquez voiced his goals on improving as a 3-point shooter. Instead of making progress as a floor spreader, he was even worse. His 32.2% rookie year efficiency from deep dropped to 31.1% this season. Evidently nothing went in Jaquez’s favor during this unfortunate decline. However, the 24 year-old did share on social media recently that he is officially working with personal trainer Chris Brickley— a well reputable shooting coach that most notably worked with Jimmy Butler.

Will it lead to Jaquez finally making that shooting leap? Only time will tell, but his track record has shown not to rely on that growth.

Best game?

In the Heat’s 2024-25 season finale, Jaquez went crazy with a career-high 41-point explosion. The game came on April 13, 2025 at home in a loss against the Washington Wizards. Most of Miami’s regular starters and rotation players sat for rest, which paved a way for Jaquez to have an opportunity to make a statement. It was an encouraging glimpse of what the full potential from Jaquez really could look like if given a consistent role with increased offensive responsibility.

Aside from the 41 points, he also showed a well rounded game with 10 rebounds, seven assists while shooting an impressive 68% from the field (17 of 25 overall).

What’s next?

Jaquez is still under contract to return to the Heat next season at a cheap price tag. However, his future with the team is still far from certain. Considering that he is still young enough to be an intriguing prospect, he is one of the Heat’s assets in trade talks. Regardless of his struggles, he is still far from his ceiling of development. If anything, perhaps that 41-point masterclass could have upped his trade value in a last ditch effort during that season finale. It is unlikely that anybody would target a trade soley for Jaquez, but he could be viewed as an attractive chip in a trade package.

Who the Heat ultimately pursue in such a package remains to be seen, despite a lot signs pointing to Kevin Durant.

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