Erik Spoelstra demands a lot from the Miami Heat’s young stars, and Jaime Jaquez Jr. knows best where he needs to improve.
The Miami Heat will focus on developing young stars next season as they look to develop their core and get back to winning ways.
Erik Spoelstra has made it a priority to challenge the Miami Heat’s up-and-coming players to overcome this situation. Just recently, Spoelstra challenged Keluel Weah to be more intense during matches.
In addition, Spoelstra asked Nikola Jovic to work on rebounding as the season progresses, and so far he has done just that.
Now, Spoelstra is focusing on Jaime Jaquez Jr., pointing out some flaws in his game that he wants the 2023 first-round pick to work on.
Erik Spoelstra spoke after the Miami Heat’s preseason game against the San Antonio Spurs. When discussing Jaime Jaquez Jr.’s performance, Coach Spo left a few notes for the young man.
He liked Jaquez Jr.’s drive to the basket, but wants him to be better defensively, especially against quick guards. Offensively, he wants Jaquez Jr. to focus on making more passes on his way to the basket.
“He made a great play in the first quarter, running into the defense and drawing the crowd, then pivoting and throwing the ball to Norm.
“That’s part of his development. He’s really competitive, so he’s going to compete defensively. He’s got a faster guard and some things to overcome. But it’s not due to a lack of hustle…
“Offensively, he’s a very downhill player, so he’s going to draw help-side defenders. Obviously, he’s got to evolve and make enough plays to keep the defense honest. We need him to be aggressive. He needs to be aggressive.”
“I don’t want him to take away his aggression. That’s probably his best offensive skill. He’s got great footwork and all that.
“If he can play well enough and create some easy shots for other guys, that’s going to open up some driving angles for himself. He did a pretty good job of both tonight.”
Without a superstar on the team, the Miami Heat have a great opportunity to develop young talent this season.
Players like Jaime Jaquez Jr., Nikola Jovic and Keluel Weah are showing their true potential and need playing time to develop into star-level players.
With a strong veteran presence on the roster, the Heat have given these young stars the tools to become what they want to be.
It’s just a matter of how much they want it. If this young trio can make strides this season, the Heat would benefit greatly in 2026 as they look to attract big-name free agents to the team.