Miami Heat forward Jaime Jaquez listed as the fourth-best rookie this season behind Victor Wembanyama
After winning the NBA’s first Rookie of the Month award, Miami Heat forward Jaime Jaquez continues to earn recognition.
Jaquez moved up from sixth to No. 4 in this week’s NBA.com Rookie Ladder. He only trails Chet Holmgren (Oklahoma City Thunder), Victor Wembanyama (San Antonio Spurs) and Brandon Miller (Charlotte Hornets.
“Jaquez earned his official recognition while filling a key rotation role for the Heat,” NBA.com’s Steve Aschburner wrote. A reminder of the instant value a four-year college player can provide, he ranks in the Top 5 in nine individual categories. And the UCLA product has played the entire fourth quarter nine times, one of only 24 players league-wide averaging at least nine minutes per fourth.”
While Holmgren, Wembanyama and Miller are expected in their positions, Jaquez is a surprise. He is the lowest-drafted player in the group after the Heat took him at No. 18. The others were all at least the No. 2 pick, with Wembanyama going No. 1 in June.
“He has a poise about him that he can be aggressive and also read the defense,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said of Jaquez. “I think that’s just born out of a lot of experience. He’s played in a lot of big college basketball games where he had to make decision after decision after decision for that team to be successful.”
Shandel Richardson covers the Miami Heat for Inside The Heat, a Fan Nation channel for Sports Illustrated. He has covered the NBA since 2010.
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