The Miami Heat’s patience is paying off with Jaime Jaquez.
Jaquez had a terrific start to his rookie season, then tailed off after he hit the rookie wall. Last season, he seemed to disappear, even from the rotation entirely for stretches. But the leap appears to be happening.
In the early season, Jaquez is averaging 18.7 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game, all this while shooting 25 percent from 3-point range.
But his impact goes well beyond that. With Jaquez on the floor this season, Miami has beaten opponents by 27.4 points per 100 possessions. To put that another way, they win his possessions by a quarter of a point every trip, each way.
Against the Hornets last week, the Heat went on a 25-0 run with Jaquez on-court.
The reason you need to pay attention is that Jaquez is the kind of player who opens things for the rest of the Heat roster, even as they are without Norman Powell and Tyler Herro. The Heat offense has been mediocre this season despite their fast pace, but that’s without two key weapons.
Jaime Jaquez is supercharging the Heat offense without the ball
Jaquez, though, isn’t getting up shots with the ball in his hands, spamming pick and roll with the Heat’s two primary scorers out. He’s working in the creases, cutting through open windows and creating as a secondary option. Having a playmaker who doesn’t need the ball is a huge plus in today’s NBA.
(Think Lonzo Ball as a good comp in this scenario.)
The challenge, of course, will be to keep up this impact when the Heat are fully healthy because some of those possessions and a more open play style will diminish with the return of Powell and later Herro.
But Jaquez is such a great slasher and has such a great nose for opportunities, he’ll continue to contribute and help the Heat win in a year with lower expectations. Jaquez so often finds gaps and chances that are only available to players with a great nose for the ball and elite instincts. That’s what stands out most about Jaquez: he has great predictive instincts for where the ball is going to go or needs to go.
The three-point issues will create dilemmas, though. Even with a high-post passer in Bam Adebayo and a great playmaking guard in Davion Mitchell, the return of Herro and Powell will shift the gravity on the court, which can complicate some of the lanes and opportunities for Jaquez.
But for now, Jaquez has proven he’s a player who helps you in multiple areas.
While Miami has not outwardly said they are shifting to a development phase of their young talent, with Jaquez, Mitchell, and Nikola Jovic, who continues to baffle with his impact vs. box score contributions, the Heat are growing a young core who may not make the All-Star Game, but do what Miami prioritizes: win games.