Oct 6, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat guard Jaime Jaquez Jr. (11) looks on against the Milwaukee Bucks during the first quarter at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Jaime Jaquez Jr names one main factor for his strong preseason

Originally posted on Miami Heat on SI | By Brady Hawk | Last updated Oct 14, 2025 12:45 PM ET

Nobody needed a stronger preseason showing for the Heat this year than third year wing Jaime Jaquez Jr. A strong rookie season when he jumped on the scene in 2023, averaging 12 points a night on his way to finishing just outside the top 3 in rookie of the year voting.

He went into the off-season claiming he needed to focus on two things: becoming a knockdown three point shooter and a lockdown defender. After honing in so deeply on his weakness areas, it seemed he lost sight of his strengths on his way to a rough sophomore season.

That brings us to present day, as the Heat are still trying to discover if first or second year Jaquez is more reflective of the level he can get to currently. He put up another strong offensive performance in Atlanta on Monday night, putting up 17 points on 50% shooting overall.

The scoring is all coming from his heavy on-ball reps and relentless attacking downhill, as he shot 6 for 12 inside the arc just hours ago. But even though the role is crucial, Jaquez Jr thinks there's an even larger factor that's impacting his current level of play.

"I'm feeling good, I'm really healthy," Jaquez said following the loss in Atlanta. "I think all of those things can contribute to how I'm feeling right now. Health is the biggest thing for me. Taking a lot of time and care about my body, my mental. As long as I do that, everything else will take care of itself."

Maybe it isn't discussed enough how much the groin injuries impacted Jaquez in that past. When talking about a player that thrives off contact, explosion to the basket, and crafty spins and pivots in the lane, it's pretty obvious that any health limitations such as the groin would hinder his play.

I gotta say one of the real preseason developments so far is Jaime legit seems to be finding his rhythm

We will see if he can sustain it, but he hasn’t been settling and continues to put his head down and attack

Heat putting the ball in his hands
— Brady Hawk (@BradyHawk305) October 13, 2025

Things seem to be somewhat lining up for Jaime Jaquez Jr to carve out a role in the current rotation. He's been a big part of sustaining the increased pace style this entire preseason, held down bench lineups as an on-ball scorer, and simply gotten back to playing his game.

Can that continue when he's back to playing in lineups with the main guys who need the ball in their hands too? We will see, but it feels Jaquez's leash will be longer than originally expected.

This article first appeared on Miami Heat on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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