Miami Heat forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. has played above even his most favorable pre-draft expectations. Averaging 12.3 points per game on 48.6 percent shooting from the field, Jaquez is the only member of the 2023 NBA Draft class to shoot above 47 percent from the field while averaging at least 12 points per game.
A three-level scorer whose lack of upper-end athleticism was cited by his detractors as evidence of why NBA teams should be wary of drafting him, Jaquez embodies the idea that skill is more important than explosiveness. Of course, in a league where players are flying around like ballistic missiles, being able to match up with them physically is important. Nonetheless, when a skilled hooper plays with the effort that Jaquez does, they can overcome some of their limitations.
That’s been the case for Jaquez, whose buy-in to conditioning began long before he reached the NBA. Indeed, in an interview with The Athletic’s William Guillory, Jaquez’s father is credited with sparking his son’s gym rat attitude.
“His mind is always seeking out more information when he finds something he enjoys.” — Jaime Jaquez Sr.
“He didn’t just love the game. He loved the work… the process of getting better,” Jaquez Sr. says.
Jimmy Butler Speaks on Jaime Jaquez Jr.
It makes sense then why Jaquez and Heat franchise cornerstone Jimmy Butler have taken to each other already.
In what’s characterized as a “mentor-mentee relationship” by Guillory, Butler is an ideal sensei for the headband-wearing Jaquez. A two-way weapon forged in the fires of Illinois, Butler’s growth from his time at Marquette to now is the stuff of NBA legends.
Once little more than a defensive specialist, Butler saw his role expanding with the Chicago Bulls in the aftermath of Derrick Rose’s infamous ACL injury. Few players go from averaging 2.6 points per game in their rookie year to 20.0 points per game three seasons later. Butler did though and it’s what helped make him one of the most popular players in the NBA.
Speaking to Guillory about his impression of Jaquez’s game, Butler says “it’s cool to see because he’s super young. I picked that type of stuff up when I was 28, 29.”
“He has so much room to get better,” Butler says. “He’s so confident. He wants to make the right play every time. It’s not like he’s (playing like) a rookie. He knows what it takes to win.”
Shifting the Perspective
Jaquez’s savvy play is a byproduct of not just a lifelong interest in playing basketball well but also four years at UCLA under five-time Coach of the Year, Mick Cronin. Four-year college players are viewed as a negative among scouts more interested in how long a player can be in the league than how well they’ll play once in it. However, Jaquez is a poster boy for why such a draft approach is foolish at worst and situational at best.
