Mar 22, 2024; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (22) and the rest of the bench looks on during the second half against the New Orleans Pelicans at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports
Jaime Jaquez Jr., a forward for the Miami Heat, has exceeded even his most optimistic pre-draft projections. Jaquez is the first player in the 2023 NBA Draft class to shoot above 47 percent from the field while averaging at least 12 points per game. He does this by averaging 12.3 points per game on 48.6 percent shooting from the field.
Jaquez is a three-level scorer who personifies the notion that talent is more significant than explosiveness. His critics pointed to his lack of elite athleticism as reason why NBA teams shouldn’t choose him. Of course, being able to physically match up with players is vital in a sport where players are flying around like ballistic missiles. However, when a proficient hooper plays as hard as Jaquez does
For Jaquez, this has been the case; his commitment to conditioning started long before he was recruited by the NBA. Indeed, Jaquez’s father is acknowledged for having ignited his son’s gym-rat mentality in an interview with William Guillory of The Athletic.
When he discovers something he enjoys, “his mind is always seeking out more information.” — Jaime Jaquez, Sr.
He wasn’t only a game enthusiast. Jaquez Sr. claims that “he loved the work… the process of getting better.”
Jaime Jaquez Jr. is discussed by Jimmy Butler.
Thus, it makes fitting that Jimmy Butler, the core player of the Heat franchise, and Jaquez have already clicked.
Butler serves as the perfect sensei in what Guillory refers to as a “mentor-mentee relationship” for the headband-wearing Jaquez. Butler is a two-way player whose development from his time at Marquette to this point is the stuff of NBA legends. He was forged in the Illinois fires.
After Derrick Rose suffered the devastating ACL injury, Butler—who was formerly viewed as little more than a defensive specialist—saw his role with the Chicago Bulls grow. It is uncommon for players to increase from 2.6 points per game in their rookie season to 20.0 points per game after three seasons. But Butler did, and that’s what made him one of the NBA’s most well-liked players.
Changing the Viewpoint
Jaquez’s astute play stems from his four years at UCLA playing for five-time Coach of the Year, Mick Cronin, in addition to his lifetime passion in basketball. Scouts that are more concerned with a player’s longevity in the league than their potential for success once they enter it tend to evaluate four-year college players negatively. Jaquez, though, is a prime example of why such a draft strategy is, at best, opportunistic and, at worst, stupid.
