Miami Heat forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. speaks to the media during the Miami Heat exit interviews at Kaseya Center on April 30, 2025, in Miami. D.A. Varela dvarela@miamiherald.com
This is an important offseason for Miami Heat forward Jaime Jaquez Jr after a shaky sophomore NBA campaign. But it’s also an important offseason for the Heat after being eliminated in the first round of the playoffs in each of the last two seasons.
The Heat continued to make changes to its roster on Friday, trading forward Haywood Highsmith and a 2032 second-round pick to the Brooklyn Nets for a protected 2026 second-round selection in a move that shed enough salary to bring Miami out of luxury-tax territory.
“Man, it’s kind of been like that this summer, this offseason. That’s one of my good friends,” Jaquez said of losing Highsmith as a teammate on Saturday morning before hosting a youth basketball camp with FlexWork Sports at Game Point Miami. “We got to build a great relationship. I’m just wishing him all the best in his career and with his time in Brooklyn. I really appreciate the time that we had playing together. Like I said, I’m just wishing him all the best.”
So far, the Heat has three new faces on its standard roster for next season — Simone Fontecchio, Kasparas Jakucionis and Norman Powell. Those from last season’s season-ending standard roster who are no longer with the Heat are Kyle Anderson, Alec Burks, Highsmith, Kevin Love and Duncan Robinson.
“It’s starting to become the reality,” said Jaquez, whose partnership with Electrolit helped make his youth camp in Miami on Saturday a reality. “I think your rookie year, you go through it and it’s an adjustment. Now your second year, I think you really start to understand what it means to be in this business. Guys that you’ve built a relationship with are no longer going to be there. It’s definitely going to be an adjustment period, but we’re just really excited to get new guys and have this new team and try to win games.”
One of those new guys is Powell, who is a California native and played his college basketball at UCLA like Jaquez. They also shared a moment at Six Flags amusement park before becoming Heat teammates.
“I’ve talked to him before at UCLA. I’ve actually randomly been to Six Flags with him. It was random,” Jaquez, 24, said when asked about Powell. “One time we were taking both of our girlfriends at the time on one of the rides and he like was just randomly behind me in line, and we ended up going on a ride together and it was pretty cool. So that’s a funny little story that we have together.”
But while the Heat has been busy building its roster for this upcoming season, Jaquez has been busy working to improve his game. Jaquez’s production dipped across the board last season after being named to the NBA’s All-Rookie first team for his impressive work in the previous season.
Jaquez, who was taken by the Heat with the 18th pick in the first round of the 2023 draft, averaged fewer points (8.6 per game last season compared to 11.9 per game the previous season) while shooting a worse percentage from the field (46.1% last season compared to 48.9% the previous season) and three-point range (31.1% last season compared to 32.2% the previous season) last regular season than the previous regular season. He also averaged 4.4 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 0.9 steals per game in 66 regular-season appearances (17 starts) in his second NBA season.
Along with dropping out of the Heat’s rotation after playing in each of the first 45 games he was available for last regular season, he logged just 19 minutes of playing time during the Heat’s short-lived four-game run in this year’s playoffs that mercifully ended when the Cleveland Cavaliers swept Miami in the first round.
“Just going back and watching some film,” Jaquez said of what he has done this offseason to try to get his game back on track. “I think that’s a big one. Just remembering what it was that put me on the floor, what it was that got me to this position. Just kind of leaning into my strengths, as well as working on things that I need to work on like shooting and defense. And just bringing it all together as a whole, I think is one of the biggest things for me this offseason. I’ve been doing a great job, my trainer out there is really helping me through this process and it has been great.”
Jaquez has focused on getting in a better headspace after his frustrating second NBA season. He has spent most of the summer in the Los Angeles area, where he was born and raised.
“I’m feeling great right now,” Jaquez said Saturday, with the Heat six weeks away from opening training camp on Sept. 30 at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton. “I’ve been doing a lot of work. I’ve been in Los Angeles just training every day and it’s been great. It’s been great to get away. It was good to be home for quite a significant period of time. But I’m feeling great, my head is in the right place. I’m just super excited to get this season started and go win some games.”
But on Saturday it was all about giving back to a South Florida community that has become Jaquez’s NBA home.
“We got a big group of kids out here,” Jaquez said at his youth basketball camp in Miami. “It’s always amazing to see all of them come out to come to my camp. It’s something that I still don’t fully grasp, I guess. Why would kids want to come to my camp? But I guess being in the NBA, that comes with it. It’s always great to give back, interacting with the kids, try to give them a great day and just have some fun.”