How does Jaime Jaquez Jr. see his role evolving for Heat? Jaquez breaks down productive offseason

With most of last season’s core returning for the Miami Heat, internal improvement will be needed to take a step forward this season.

As Heat forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. prepares for his second NBA season fresh off an appearance on the league’s All-Rookie First Team, he knows he’s a big part of the internal improvement plan. That’s why he spent this offseason working to become a better player on both ends of the court.

Jaquez’s busy offseason included a week with Team USA’s Select Team and time with the Heat’s summer league team. The goal was simple: get better.

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“My three-point shooting, that’s an area that I really wanted to improve. I feel like I needed to improve if we wanted to, as a team, make the strides and jumps that we need to try to win a championship. And just really honing in on mechanics and getting a bunch of reps up,” Jaquez, 23, said this week.

What else?

“I think also just taking the next step of being a professional and really doing everything necessary to take care of my body when it comes to my diet, sleeping patterns and things like that,” Jaquez added.

Anything else?

“As well as trying to be the best playmaker I can, be a guy that always makes the right decisions and that coach can trust in those moments,” Jaquez emphasized.

But Jaquez won’t just be relied on to help lift a Heat offense that has finished the last two regular seasons as a bottom-10 unit, he also expects to be called on to fill the defensive void left behind by the free agent departure of Caleb Martin.

“I think obviously with losing Caleb this year, I think there’s definitely going to be a hole to be filled when it comes to the defensive side of the ball and a guy who can really go out there and stop the other team’s best player or whoever has got it going that night,” Jaquez said. “I think my role can definitely evolve into somebody who coach just decides, ‘Hey Jaime, I want you to go guard the best player and chase him around and stop him.’ I think that’s a way that my role can evolve.”

Even with Martin on the Heat’s roster last season, coach Erik Spoelstra used Jaquez to defend some of the league’s top scorers as an NBA rookie. Jaquez spent extended stretches on stars such as Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James, Chicago Bulls forward DeMar DeRozan, Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards and Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero last regular season.

In the playoffs last season, Jaquez spent most of his defensive possessions on Boston Celtics guard Jrue Holiday and forward Jaylen Brown.

“I think ultimately just being solid on defense,” Jaquez said when asked how he feels like he can grow as a defender. “I know that at times I can get a little over aggressive and make some careless mistakes, whether it be reaching or trying to have a moment. I think an area that I can really improve on is just being very sound when it comes to my defense. Not doing too much, just making sure that I’m making it as tough a shot as possible or making them get rid of the ball.”

Jaquez, who was selected by the Heat with the 18th overall pick in last year’s draft following a four-year college career at UCLA, averaged 11.9 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists and one steal per game while shooting 48.9 percent from the field and 32.2 percent on threes in 75 games (20 starts) as a rookie last regular season.

Jaquez earned the first two Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month awards handed out by the league last season on his way to becoming just the seventh Heat player in franchise history to be selected for the NBA’s All-Rookie First Team.

“Jaime has been showing us that he can play, that he belongs in this league,” Heat captain and three-time NBA All-Star Bam Adebayo said. “I feel like that’s the one thing that can be a high compliment, if you look at it the right way. Somebody saying you belong in the NBA and he’s shown that, he’s continuing to show that. I still see it when I’m working out and they’re playing pick-up in our arena. He’s still showing that he belongs, he deserves his spot, he deserves to play and that’s what you like about the young fella. He’s not scared to go into any battle against anybody.”

Jaquez has also focused on his habits off the court this summer, implementing a healthier lifestyle in hopes of becoming a more durable and consistent player.

“The season is very long, it’s grueling,” said Jaquez, who will earn $3.7 million this season in the second year of his rookie contract. “You talk to some of the veterans about how much they take care of their body and what they eat, and I think just trying to change my diet. Doing a lot more organic foods and doing research into the things that get put into our food.

“So just trying to stay very organic, very healthy and just try to implement that as a lifestyle. As I’ve learned, it just makes your energy levels higher, you feel better, your brain is a lot more in tune and a lot more focused than when you’re putting bad preservative types of food in your body.”

Whether it’s as a starter or reserve this season, Jaquez plans to help the Heat prove doubters wrong after last season’s early first-round playoff exit. The Heat will hold media day on Sept. 30 at Kaseya Center in Miami before opening training camp at Baha Mar in the Bahamas on Oct. 1.

“No matter what it is, we’re going to find a way to make us have a chip on our shoulder,” Jaquez said. “I think even going in, I think it’s seven national TV games for the Miami Heat, that’s what the NBA thinks of us and that’s OK because I guarantee you that they’re going to still be talking about us when the season goes on and we play our season. I think the media is still going to find a way to talk about us and what we’re doing and we’re going to definitely make some noise. They’re going to have no choice but to mention our names.”