After a little over a month of competition, there is a lot of talk about Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren among the rookies. Well Named. But we know one from Miami who also impresses: Jaime Jaquez Jr..
24 points, including 14 in the last quarter, 8/13 shooting and 7/7 free throws.
That doesn’t sound like the stats of an NBA rookie, but those are Jaime Jaquez Jr.’s stats in the Heat’s wild win yesterday against Indiana. The 18th choice of the 2023 Draft was indeed one of the great architects of Miami’s comeback alongside Jimmy Butler, and thus continues its very good current dynamic.
Jaime Jaquez Jr. over the last 6 games:
19 PTS – 3 REB – 4 AST
22 PTS – 8 REB – 1 AST
15 PTS – 5 REB – 4 AST
18 PTS – 5 REB – 4 AST
14 PTS – 4 REB – 6 AST
24 PTS – 5 REB – 1 AST pic.twitter.com/AlfM1CQIR8
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) December 1, 2023
Jaime Jaquez Jr. over his last six games? 18.7 points, 5 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.2 interceptions on average, 57% shooting including more than 52% at 3-points and 93% on free throws.
In the shadow of giants Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren, the Miami rookie strings together ultra-solid performances to make his valuable contribution to the Florida collective. We knew that the youngster had solid fundamentals, we knew that he had the DNA to integrate into the famous Heat Culture, and the necessary maturity (22 years old, four years of university at UCLA) to succeed. adapt fairly quickly to the NBA level. But even knowing all that, Jaime Jaquez Jr. today exceeds all expectations placed on him.
A new career-high 24 points with 14 in the 4th? Sheeeesh @jaquez_jr ???????? pic.twitter.com/5RgENee5Pc
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) December 1, 2023
The best compliment you can give to a rookie is to tell him that he doesn’t play like a rookie.
Jaquez Jr. only has 19 NBA games under his belt but plays as if he already had several years of experience behind him: he understands the game, he moves well without the ball, he knows how to find his spots to score, he knows making the right choices to make your friends play, all this with an efficiency and regularity that many rookies do not have. Ultimate proof of recognition: Heat coach Erik Spoelstra does not hesitate to trust him at the end of tight matches by giving him responsibilities. This was once again the case yesterday against Indiana, where Jaquez and Jimmy Butler led Miami’s comeback in the second half.
“To be able to do that, you have to have the physical strength, the confidence, the ability to make the right decisions while being a good finisher and a good passer, without forgetting this desire to make the right choice every time. These two (Jaquez and Butler) are good at that, they analyze information quickly.”
– Erik Spoelstra, after Heat – Pacers
While we could have doubts about the depth of the Heat following the departures of the duo Gabe Vincent – Max Strus and the failure of Damian Lillard, Jaime Jaquez Jr. is one of the reasons for Miami’s relatively solid start to the season. He participated in all of his team’s matches while Spoelstra had to tinker to compensate for certain injuries (to Tyler Herro in particular). He plays more than 26 minutes per game (32 over the last six outings), has started four times, and averages 12 points, 4 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.1 steals with super clean percentages (53 % shooting, 39% parking, 87.5% throwing).
Enough to apply for a place in the best five rookies at the end of the season, alongside Chet and Wemby? In any case, he got off to a very good start.
2023-12-01 13:02:00
#Jaime #Jaquez #full #swing #Miami
