Exclusive: How Heat’s Jaime Jaquez Jr. is readjusting his focus after sophomore slump

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Exclusive: How Heat’s Jaime Jaquez Jr. is readjusting his focus after sophomore slump

Zachary Weinberger, ClutchPoints · ClutchPoints

Tue, Sep 30, 2025 ·

5 min read

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The post Exclusive: How Heat's Jaime Jaquez Jr. is readjusting his focus after sophomore slump appeared first on ClutchPoints .

With the Miami Heat getting ready for the 2025-26 season, the team started training camp on Tuesday morning at Florida Atlantic University in preparation to hopefully make some noise. However, with Heat star Tyler Herro suffering from a foot injury that led to surgery, the team is looking for players to step up and carry the weight.

Besides stars like Bam Adebayo , Norman Powell , and Andrew Wiggins , a player who could be in line for more opportunities to solidify himself in the rotation is Jaime Jaquez Jr. , coming off a sophomore season where he regressed. After impressing in his first season, which saw the former first-round pick excel and be honored with a spot on the NBA's All-Rookie first-team, the league started to figure him out in year two.

Last season, Jaquez averaged 8.6 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game while shooting 46.1 percent from the field and 31.1 percent from deep. Jaquez would speak to ClutchPoints on Tuesday, sharing what head coach Erik Spoelstra and the rest of the staff told him about his game, specifically in getting back to his "strengths," admitting that he focused too much on being a "knockdown three-point shooter."

"They're just telling me to get back to my strengths, really focus on my strengths, like I was saying, you know, I kind of got a little too much focus, you know, a little bit on my three," Jaquez said. "I put a lot of pressure to become a knockdown three-point shooter. You know, knowing my game, you know, I know I can make threes, but it's not necessarily my game for my career. So I think mostly just kind of, get back to my game. And, you know, remember what got me to this position."

Heat's Jaime Jaquez Jr. speaks on opportunity with Tyler Herro 's injury

As it was a frustrating second Heat season for Jaquez , he used to rely on his ability to be a physical playmaker, gaining an advantage on the defender when driving to the rim. With his playstyle in some ways compared to that of Jimmy Butler , he found success in his physicality, but the league adjusted as Jaquez's next stage of development is adaptation.

Rather than improving physically, fortifying his mental state is just as, if not more important, as he said that's what gives players "the edge."

"Yeah, I think when you get to a certain level like the NBA, I mean, everybody's good," Jaquez said. "There's not a lot of things people can't do in the NBA, like, that's how good everybody is. So the separator at this point, when the physical and, you know, the skill are all somewhat equal, it's the mental, which gives, you know, guys the edge."

On Monday's media day, Jaquez would mention to ClutchPoints how he worked with a mental coach this summer , in an effort to clear his mind. Now with Herro out to start the season, Jaquez finds it bittersweet when a leader of the team goes down, but there is an "opportunity that arises."

Anytime a guy goes down, you never want to see it. But, you know, as competitors, we want to go on the floor. So any opportunity that arises, we want to take advantage. You know, I'm no different. So, you know, we had that opportunity to go out there, make a statement. You know, it's training camp, it's a great opportunity to make your mark. You know, impress the coaches and really, you know, earn your spot on this roster.

Heat's Erik Spoelstra on the work Jaime Jaquez Jr. has done this summer

While the aim for the Heat's Jaquez is to overcome the sophomore slump from last season, the one person who has seen the improvement is the man in charge of the rotations in Spoelstra. He would even say to ClutchPoints that he's been "pleased" with Jaquez's work in the summer and how going back home to "clear his mind" has helped.

"I'm pleased with the work that he put in the summer," Spoelstra said."He spent a good amount of time in Miami before the draft, and then he was able to take six weeks and just go to LA and get to work. And I think that really helped him, just clear his mind, and just get back to the joy of the game."

"He's going to work, right? He's going to grind," Spoelstra continued. "I'm not at all concerned about that, but I want him coming in fresh and, you know, going home and be able to set his own schedule. I think it was helpful. And then he came back in August and really prepared. He's in perfect shape. He's aggressive. We need that. And then it's a matter of putting together the decision-making and knowing when to do what, which I've seen improvement."

At any rate, Jaquez and Miami go through training camp this week at Florida Atlantic University in preparation for the first preseason game on Saturday in Puerto Rico against the Orlando Magic .

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