Jaime Jaquez Jr. of the Miami Heat has been named one of three finalists for the NBA Sixth Man of the Year award, joining Tim Hardaway Jr. from the Denver Nuggets and Keldon Johnson from the San Antonio Spurs. This recognition marks Jaquez as the only Heat player nominated for any major award this season. He had a standout year, leading all NBA reserves in points, field goals, and multiple other categories, and is on track to become only the second player in the Heat's 38-year history to win this honor, following Tyler Herro's victory in 2022. Jaquez's performance included a remarkable 22 games scoring 20 points or more off the bench, the second-most in franchise history. Meanwhile, Heat center Bam Adebayo, who has sought the Defensive Player of the Year award for nine seasons, was not named among the finalists for that category, which includes Victor Wembanyama, Chet Holmgren, and Ausar Thompson. Coach Erik Spoelstra praised Jaquez's resilience and improvement, expressing hope for his award recognition as the playoffs approach.