First-round pick Jaime Jaquez Jr. introduced in Miami. A look at what the Heat is getting
It’s hard to identify Jaime Jaquez Jr.’s one elite skill, but that’s because he does a lot well.
After a successful four-year college career at UCLA, Jaquez was drafted by the Miami Heat with the 18th overall pick in Thursday night’s NBA Draft. At 22 years old, he’s the oldest prospect selected in the top 20 and the fourth-oldest prospect taken in the first round of this year’s draft.
Jaquez’s well-rounded skill set paired with his experience intrigued the Heat. But what’s the quality in his well-rounded game that stands out from the rest?
“I would just a guy I’m just a guy who makes an impact on the game,” Jaquez said during his introductory news conference Friday afternoon at Kaseya Center. “I feel like my biggest quality is just making an impact with winning plays. That’s getting a steal, getting a deflection, getting a big rebound. Just little things that really impact the game in a major way is something I really try to do in my game. I think that’s one of my biggest attributes.”
Of what sold the Heat on Jaquez, Heat vice president of basketball operations and assistant general manager Adam Simon said: “He’s a winner, he’s a competitor. I think he’s going to be a favorite of our coaching staff. A guy you just really enjoy coaching. I think he’s a great teammate and a hoop junkie. I think he really fits with us.”
Jaquez earned a starting role a month into his freshman season at UCLA and turned into one of the most accomplished players in program history, leading the Bruins to one Final Four and two more appearances in the Sweet 16. He finished his college career with 1,802 points (eighth on UCLA’s career scoring list), 178 steals (eighth on UCLA’s career steals list) and 842 rebounds (11th on UCLA’s career rebounding list).
Jaquez (listed at 6-foot-6 and 226 pounds) averaged 17.8 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.5 steals per game in 37 games (all starts) as a senior last season. He was named a consensus second-team All-American and the 2023 Pac-12 Player of the Year.
“I think you look at each player and make that decision of who might take longer and who might be ready,” Simon said of the Heat’s decision to draft Jaquez. “But you’re looking at who’s the best fit. I think with Jaime, he was the best fit and it just so happened he was a little bit older.”
Jaquez goes from being one of the older prospects drafted in this year’s first round to the second-youngest player currently on track to be part of the Heat’s roster next season. As a rookie, he will have to prove he deserves a consistent role as part of a rotation that’s filled with experienced veterans who helped the Heat reach the NBA Finals as a No. 8 seed this past season.
“I didn’t expect there not to be any challenge,” Jaquez said. “I know what this organization is about and it’s about toughness and willing to work, put in that work to become the best player you can possibly be. That’s what I’ve always been about.”
Most predraft scouting reports describe Jaquez as a smart player who has a natural feel for the game on both ends of the court. He’s known for his relentless hustle, pretty footwork in the post, quality rebounding skills and ability to score from inside the three-point arc.
“I think one of his best attributes is his versatility,” Simon said. “You can put him in a lot of different spots. Just his IQ and understanding of the game, I think is going to be a great weapon for [coach Erik Spoelstra] in how they can put him in all different lineups.”
The NBA’s scouting report on Jaquez says he “has good size and strength for a forward. He has good footwork in the post and can create his own shot or generate looks for his teammates. Jaquez is a crafty finisher but has also shown the ability to step outside for jump shots from the midrange and three. He is a smart defender who is adept at reading passing lanes.”
When watching Jaquez’s college highlights, his creativity in the post as a scorer and passer flashes immediately.
“I think it’s more of my philosophy of looking at the game,” Jaquez said of that aspect of his game. “When you’re young, they always tell you as you go up in the levels of the game, it always gets faster. But I found out as it gets faster, you need to go slower. So just trying to always stay under control is something I really tried to do in my career. ... Looking at guys like Luka [Doncic] has also really helped, just watching the way he’s always under control and never sped up and playing his game and just always being under control.”
It also helps that Jaquez’s favorite player to watch growing up was Los Angeles Lakers icon Kobe Bryant.
“His foot work was impeccable,” said Jaquez, who is from Camarillo, California.
But Jaquez was not a quality three-point shooter at UCLA. He shot 48.1 percent from the field in his final college season, but shot just 33 of 104 (31.7 percent) from three-point range as a senior and 116 of 354 (32.8 percent) from three-point range during his four-year college career.
Jaquez’s three-point efficiency seemed to go down as his usage rate went up at UCLA, shooting 39.4 percent from three-point range as a sophomore but 27.6 percent as a junior and less than 32 percent as a senior. Developing a reliable and consistent outside shot will be a focus for Jaquez in the Heat’s developmental program.
“He shot it almost 40 percent his sophomore year,” Simon said. “I think his usage or responsibilities to be a bigger scorer as a junior and senior might have brought down his shooting. So I think the expectations or the need for him to do more might have brought down his numbers. But it seems like he’s going to be able to improve as a three-point shooter with our coaching and more reps.”
Which position will Jaquez play in the NBA? The Heat believes he can play both forward spots and Jaquez agrees.
“I think my four years at UCLA, I was playing pretty much the four position,” said Jaquez, who is slotted to make about $3.5 million next season as the 18th pick. “Although, we did switch a lot, interchangeable. We also played small a lot, too, so there were times I was even playing the five alongside some of my teammates and I was the biggest guy on the floor. So I’m pretty accustomed to guarding those bigger guys.”
Next up for Jaquez is summer league basketball with the Heat in Sacramento and Las Vegas. The team is scheduled to travel to the West Coast next week to begin summer league practices on July 1.
“We’ll get him ready for summer league and that will be up to the coaches to see what different lineups they can use him in and how we can use him as a player,” Simon said.
For now, Jaquez is enjoying the whirlwind that landed him in Miami.
After attending the draft in New York on Thursday, Jaquez and his family traveled to Miami for his introductory press conference on Friday. His father, Jaime, mother, Angela, younger brother, Marcos, and younger sister, Gabriela, made the trip with him.
It’s a dream come true not only for Jaquez, but also for his entire family. Both of his parents played basketball at Concordia University and Gabriela just completed her freshman season on the UCLA women’s basketball team.
“Leading up to draft night, it felt like the longest day of my life and then I wake up and I’m in Miami already,” Jaquez said. “So it’s weird. It was slow, but now it’s fast. I’m just trying to soak it all in as much as I can.”
