The Miami Heat selected UCLA forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. with the No. 18 pick in the draft
The Miami Heat’s impressive draft picks aren’t done yet after selecting UCLA’s Jaime Jaquez Jr. with the No. 18 pick.
Jaquez is off to a hot start in his NBA career, averaging 11.2 points and 1.1 steals on 50.7 percent shooting through 17 games. He ranks fifth among rookies in points per game and third in steals.
Outside of generational big men Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren, Jaquez has arguably performed better than any other first-year player. His NBA readiness and patience on the offensive end set him apart from the rest of the draft class.
Among other high-performing rookies are Ausar Thompson, Brandon Miller, and Jordan Hawkins. All three players average nearly five minutes more than Jaquez on worse efficiency from inside the arc.
“He fits very well into how we approach the games. It won’t be all great. There will be some ups and downs; that’s natural for a young player,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “But his approach is always the same. He comes in very steady…What he brings is something that gives us a totally different dimension to that second unit, which is encouraging.”
Spoelstra’s impressions of the rookie are showing through his playing time, as he is consistently playing the entire fourth quarter.
Although the rookies are less than 20 games into their careers, Jaquez appears on track to end up on the All-Rookie first team.
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