BOSTON – So, could Jaime Jaquez Jr. have a shot?
Among those traveling with the Miami Heat on this three-game trip that concludes Wednesday night against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden has been shooting consultant Rob Fodor. During drill work, that has had Fodor subtly adjusting Jaquez’s form.
If Monday night against the Washington Wizards was a product of that work, better days yet could be ahead for the Heat’s 2023 first-round pick and 2024 first-team All-Rookie selection.
At .446 from the field and .308 on 3-pointers, Jaquez’s percentages have plummeted during this sophomore season. But Monday night in the 120-94 victory that extended the Heat’s winning streak to a season-best five in a row, the second-year forward out of UCLA was 6 of 9 from the field and 2 of 2 on 3-pointers.
To Jaquez, it’s not about changing his shot, but rather adjusting.
“I guess just looking for more of the details and stuff like that,” Jaquez said of his consultations with Fodor. “I don’t really try to change my shot. I don’t think my shot needs to be changed. Although ‘tweak’ I think is a different word I would use, make a little bit of tweaks there, adjustments, and just trying to find consistency, doing the same things over and over again.”
Jaquez said his form has worked before, so it’s not as if there was a need for a move to a Plan B.
“As a shooter, sometimes you miss a shot, you try to make adjustments,” he said. “But you don’t want to overreact, because sometimes you’re going to miss shots, and that’s OK.”
During one drill at shootaround during this trip, just as Jaquez was about to launch, Fodor had him stop. His arm placement was changed. A 3-point swish followed.
“We get up a lot of shots,” Jaquez said of that drill work with Fodor. “I think one of the things with me is technical, my hand placement, getting my elbow where it needs to be and my release, just get it out early. Those are the kinds of the things we talk about frequently.”
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