Miami Heat will once again enter the postseason as the No. 10 seed in the Eastern Conference, falling short of expectations after hoping to take a step forward from last season’s finish.
Despite the team’s disappointing results, third-year forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. has been a bright spot.
As Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald notes, he has positioned himself as one of the top contenders for the Sixth Man of the Year award.
Jaquez delivered career-best numbers this season, averaging 15.2 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game.
According to Chiang, he currently holds the second-best odds for the award at BetOnline, behind only Keldon Johnson of the San Antonio Spurs.
“I think, obviously, I didn’t want to have the year I had last year. But life happens,” Jaquez said.
“The only thing you can do is get back up. I heard a great quote, ‘Failure isn’t falling down, failure is staying down.’ And I think just being able to come back and improve on my game, it would just be a great recognition of the hard work.”
Southeast Notes: Jaquez, Herro, Carrington, Cain https://t.co/PXNIDT1kL7 pic.twitter.com/R7SS6Lmqql
— Hoops Rumors (@HoopsRumors) April 13, 2026
