Former UCLA Bruin Jaime Jaquez Jr. enters his third season in the NBA with the Miami Heat. He is expected to play a key role off the bench for the retooled team this upcoming season. Jaquez Jr. who was seen in a tweener position of small and power forward and not knowing what he would play. He put those concerns to rest and his career started off well in the 2023-24 season by finishing 4th in rookie of the year voting.
The BEST OF December Eastern Conference @Kia Rookie of the Month Jaime Jaquez Jr.! #KiaROTM
16.1 PPG | 3.8 RPG | 2.7 APG | 48.1 FG% pic.twitter.com/qKJbWe7Oap
— NBA (@NBA) January 4, 2024
Jaquez Jr as a rookie averaged 11.8 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists on a very respectable 48.9% shooting. But he did struggle with his outside shot at only 32.2%. Last season he seemed to regress across the board shooting, but the Heat were undergoing so much change and roles were undefined. They ultimately parted ways with Jimmy Butler and decided to hit the reset button.
Although Jaquez Jr. struggled a bit last season. There is hope for this year for him to bounce back. He has a clear defined role off the bench and will play between 25-30 minutes per night. It is not talked about enough what consistency can do to a player’s confidence and what they can provide.
Dating back to his time at UCLA, I’ve loved Jaime Jaquez Jr’s craftiness around the rim
From his footwork to his touch, he’s great at getting his shot off pic.twitter.com/2LJ6hVN33n https://t.co/zNp0ys0JaD
— Point Made Basketball (@pointmadebball) October 23, 2025
Jaquez Jr. will forever be a UCLA legend as the First Four to Final Four run was an amazing year in 2021. He played a large part in that happening along with Johnny Juzang. His sister Gabriela Jaquez is also a key component on a very good UCLA women’s basketball team.
Jaquez looks to build off to a strong start for the 2025/26 season. Although the Heat lost their opener 125-121 to the Orlando Magic, Jaquez Jr. shined in the game. He had 13 points and six rebounds on 85.7% shooting. Barring injury and entering the starting lineup, he could be a player to watch in 6th man of the year voting.
