When the Milwaukee Bucks completed their trade of Giannis Antetokounmpo, they received a haul of players and picks in return. One of the more proven players in that package was Jaime Jaquez Jr.
Jaquez was the 18th overall pick by the Miami Heat in 2023 and quickly established himself as a dependable rotation player. He did many of the little things Miami values, finishing fourth in Rookie of the Year voting and ninth in Sixth Man of the Year voting during an impressive debut season.
After a sophomore slump, he bounced back last year and reestablished his value.
Unlike many other players on Milwaukee’s roster, Jaquez’s role this season should be fairly clear. He figures to be one of the first players off the bench for head coach Taylor Jenkins.
The Bucks have shown a willingness to start Kyle Kuzma at forward, and they may continue doing so in hopes of improving his trade value early in the season. Ousmane Dieng could also push for a starting role if he takes another step forward.
Whatever direction Milwaukee goes, Jaquez should remain with the second unit.
He bounced between starting and coming off the bench during his first two seasons, starting 37 of his first 141 games. That changed in 2025-26, when he started just one of his 75 appearances for Miami.
The results were hard to argue with.
Jaquez posted career highs in points (15.4), rebounds (5.0) and assists (4.7) per game. He also enjoyed the most efficient scoring season of his career, posting a 53.9 percent effective field goal percentage.
Now, he’ll try to build on that performance at the perfect time.
Jaquez is entering the final year of his rookie contract and is set to hit restricted free agency next summer. If he can hit both a realistic and ambitious goal this season, he could be setting himself up for a significant payday.
Realistic goal: Win Sixth Man of the Year
Historically, the Sixth Man of the Year award has often gone to a high-scoring guard on a playoff-caliber team. However, recent winners like Keldon Johnson, Naz Reid and even Montrezl Harrell have shown there is room for a bigger, more versatile player to break that mold.
For Jaquez Jr., the biggest obstacle may have less to do with his own production and more to do with Milwaukee’s success as a team.
Expectations for the Bucks vary widely, but it isn’t difficult to find projections that have them finishing with a win total in the 20s. If Milwaukee struggles that badly, Jaquez’s chances of winning a major individual award would take a serious hit.
If the Bucks outperform those expectations, however, the conversation changes.
Jaquez has already shown he can anchor a second unit with his scoring, rebounding and playmaking. If he helps Milwaukee take advantage of its depth and pushes the team into the play-in conversation, another season similar to last year could put him right back on the short list for Sixth Man of the Year.
He was close before. This time, the goal is to turn another strong season into some actual hardware.
Ambitious goal: Average 17 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists per game
The bigger question for Jaquez is whether there’s another level of production left to unlock.
Last season may have represented something close to his current ceiling, but it wouldn’t take a massive leap to push his numbers into even more impressive territory. Raising his scoring average from 15.4 to 17 points, maintaining his rebounding and nudging his assists to five per game would be enough to make a noticeable difference.
Milwaukee also has a need for exactly that kind of player.
The Bucks are guard-heavy, but they lack bigger players who can consistently create offense for themselves and others. Kuzma is wildly unpredictable, while Myles Turner is better suited to finishing plays than initiating them.
That leaves Jaquez with a real opportunity to become Milwaukee’s primary source of bigger-bodied shot creation.
If he can reach 17 points, five rebounds and five assists per game while maintaining last season’s efficiency, he wouldn’t just strengthen his Sixth Man of the Year case. He’d also establish himself as one of the most important players on Milwaukee’s roster—and potentially earn himself a much larger contract in the process.
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