MIAMI — Yes, the lobbying now is in place from the Heat amid Jaime Jaquez Jr.’s candidacy for NBA Sixth Man of the Year, even amid the team’s uneven ride.

But quietly, the third-year forward had put himself in position for a more parochial reserve reward, one that caught him unaware.

With Sunday night’s 14th point in the Heat’s loss to the Indiana Pacers, Jaquez became just the fourth player in the franchise’s 38 years to score at least 1,000 points off the bench in a season.

The record is 1,162 by Tyler Herro in 2021-21, when he won the Sixth Man Award. The only other Heat players to reach 1,000 points in reserve were Dwyane Wade, with 1,028 when he played in reserve during his final season in 2018-19, and Tyler Johnson, with 1,002 in 2016-17.

After 20 starts at a rookie and 17 last season, all but one of Jaquez’s appearances this season have come in reserve amid this bounce-back from a sophomore slump for the 2024 first-team All-Rookie selection.

“That’s pretty cool,” Jaquez said of the Heat’s 1,000-point reserve club, as the Heat turned their attention to Monday night’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers at Kaseya Center. “I take a lot of pride in doing that. It’s my job to be able to help in that way.”

It has gotten to the point that even as coach Erik Spoelstra shuffles through what already have been 25 lineup combinations, the goal has been to keep Jaquez ready and reliable in reserve.

“He’s played great in that role,” Spoelstra said, with Monday night’s game opening a three-game homestand that continues Wednesday night against the Boston Celtics. “It’s one of the things that we’ve been able to be consistent with all year. I love keeping him where he is, being able to make a great impact there.

“He’s playing starter’s minutes, regardless. When his body feels good, then he typically makes a great impact for us.”

For the most part, the nagging ailments have been minimal, with Jaquez appearing in all but seven games this season, after missing 16 last season.

“I take  pride in that job and how important and crucial it is for this team and really spearheading that second unit,” Jaquez said, now in a Heat club that includes Wade. “To be in a company like that, it’s an honor.”

And to have him in that company, Herro said, also is an honor.

“He’s pretty damn close to my record,” Herro said with a smile, then muttering a playful expletive, while also aware of the Heat’s dire playoff-race position as a team.

“He’s been great at it,” Herro said of the sixth-man role. “I feel like he’s a starter in the league, but he’s sacrificed for the team coming off the bench.”

The fit has been evident from the start of the season, with the Heat playing at pace from the outset.

“I mean, our new offense really benefits him, the way he can get in the paint, make plays for himself and also for others,” Herro said. “So he’s been a beneficiary of the new offense, for sure.”

Now with over a thousand reasons to feel right about the role.

“I think as you get older, you understand sacrifice a lot more,” said Jaquez, who is extension-eligible this summer, otherwise to hit free agency in the 2027 offseason. “It’s just really whatever is best for the team and whatever is best for this job. Wherever you fit is where you want to be able to grow in. This year, it’s me coming off the bench as the first man off the bench.

“I take a lot of pride in that. I’ve been a starter pretty much my whole entire life. For me, it’s a different adjustment, but it’s all part of growth. Just growing up, things change and you’ve got to adjust. It’s been a blessing.”