Jaime Jaquez Jr. appears to have successfully bounced back from a sophomore slump, but the Miami Heat’s decision to invest in his future (beyond next season) is far from a guarantee. No matter how you look at it, it’s certainly a decision that will go a long way in defining the Heat’s future.

Through the first five games of the season, you have to credit Jaquez Jr. for getting his career back on track in Miami. After taking a step back in his sophomore season, there were many questions that surrounded his future with the team. However, he’s gone a long way in calming many of those nerves.

With the exception of one area of his game – 3-point shooting.

Especially in the Heat’s new offense, which relies less on pick and rolls and more on motion and pace, Jaquez Jr. has looked more and more comfortable on both ends of the floor. Through the first five games of the season, Jaquez Jr. is averaging 16 points, seven rebounds, and five assists on 62 percent shooting from the field.

With Tyler Herro currently sidelined with an injury, there’s an argument to be made that Jaquez Jr. has been the team’s third-most important player to begin the year for the Heat. But, of course, the 3-point shooting continues to be an issue for Jaquez Jr.

Can the Heat afford to overlook Jaquez Jr.’s shooting woes?

Jaquez Jr. is shooting just 25 percent from deep and eight total on the year. It hasn’t hurt the team’s free-flowing offense all that much, but you can’t help but wonder if his inability to space the floor could end up playing a factor for the team in the future.

And if there’s a belief that it could, it’s naturally going to build some real hesitation about a contract extension, which the Heat probably have to decide on next summer.

Miami could let Jaquez Jr. test his restricted free agent market after the 2026-27 NBA season, but that’s never the ideal path to go down. Just as the Heat went ahead of that for Nikola Jovic just before the start of this season, you’d imagine that the hope is that they could follow a similar blueprint next summer for Jaquez Jr.

In many ways, the deciding factor on whether Jaquez Jr. will get an extension or not could very much hinge on how much the team is making about the young wing’s continued struggles from 3-point range.