Jaime Jaquez happy Lakers passed on him: 'I wanted to get away'
The irony for Jaquez is that on draft night, the hometown Los Angeles Lakers had the No. 17 pick, one pick before Jaquez went to the Heat. The Lakers instead opted for Indiana freshman forward Jalen Hood-Schifino. That, Jaquez said, was for the best. “I wanted to get away,” he said. “I think, for myself, I thought it was important for me to be able to go out of my comfort zone and experience something new. I didn’t want to be a guy that said, ‘Oh, I just stayed in Southern California all my life.’ “I wanted to go live in a different, new place. And that’s why I was very excited to go to Miami. It was new. Everyone compares it, but I think it’s very, very different.”
Source: Ira Winderman @ South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Source: Ira Winderman @ South Florida Sun-Sentinel
What’s the buzz on Twitter?
Brady Hawk @BradyHawk305
Really like that early offense from Miami there
Jaime Jaquez sets it up, Bam Adebayo pindown for Tyler Herro
Been saying they should find ways to make things easier for Tyler off-ball
There’s one right there – 10:45 PM
Really like that early offense from Miami there
Jaime Jaquez sets it up, Bam Adebayo pindown for Tyler Herro
Been saying they should find ways to make things easier for Tyler off-ball
There’s one right there – 10:45 PM
Mark Medina @MarkG_Medina
Jaime Jaquez Jr., Heat rookie forward and former UCLA standout, receives a warm welcome before Clippers-Heat game. Also introduced in Spanish as part of Mexican Heritage Night pic.twitter.com/fMdTyjyDR0 – 10:38 PM
Jaime Jaquez Jr., Heat rookie forward and former UCLA standout, receives a warm welcome before Clippers-Heat game. Also introduced in Spanish as part of Mexican Heritage Night pic.twitter.com/fMdTyjyDR0 – 10:38 PM
Anthony Chiang @Anthony_Chiang
Jaime Jaquez Jr. received a loud cheer from the LA crowd when he was introduced as a starter. – 10:36 PM
Jaime Jaquez Jr. received a loud cheer from the LA crowd when he was introduced as a starter. – 10:36 PM
Ohm Youngmisuk @NotoriousOHM
STARTERS 1/1
LAC
Paul George
Kawhi Leonard
Ivica Zubac
Terance Mann
James Harden
MIA
Jaime Jaquez Jr.
Jamal Cain
Bam Adebayo
Tyler Herro
Kyle Lowry – 10:20 PM
STARTERS 1/1
LAC
Paul George
Kawhi Leonard
Ivica Zubac
Terance Mann
James Harden
MIA
Jaime Jaquez Jr.
Jamal Cain
Bam Adebayo
Tyler Herro
Kyle Lowry – 10:20 PM
Janis Carr @janiscarr
STARTERS 1/1 LAC
Paul George
Kawhi Leonard
Ivica Zubac
Terance Mann
James Harden
MIA
Jaime Jaquez Jr.
Jamal Cain
Bam Adebayo
Tyler Herro
Kyle Lowry – 10:12 PM
STARTERS 1/1 LAC
Paul George
Kawhi Leonard
Ivica Zubac
Terance Mann
James Harden
MIA
Jaime Jaquez Jr.
Jamal Cain
Bam Adebayo
Tyler Herro
Kyle Lowry – 10:12 PM
Ira Winderman @IraHeatBeat
Jaime Jaquez Jr. in Heat starting lineup on his homecoming night, along with Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro, Kyle Lowry . . . and Jamal Cain. No Butler, Martin, Highsmith or Richardson for Heat. – 10:02 PM
Jaime Jaquez Jr. in Heat starting lineup on his homecoming night, along with Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro, Kyle Lowry . . . and Jamal Cain. No Butler, Martin, Highsmith or Richardson for Heat. – 10:02 PM
Anthony Chiang @Anthony_Chiang
Jaime Jaquez Jr. getting the start in his first NBA appearance back home.
Heat starting Kyle Lowry, Tyler Herro, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Jamal Cain and Bam Adebayo.
Heat’s 19th different starting lineup in 33 games. – 10:02 PM
Jaime Jaquez Jr. getting the start in his first NBA appearance back home.
Heat starting Kyle Lowry, Tyler Herro, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Jamal Cain and Bam Adebayo.
Heat’s 19th different starting lineup in 33 games. – 10:02 PM
Anthony Chiang @Anthony_Chiang
Jaime Jaquez Jr. is back home. Jaquez returns to Los Angeles as one of the NBA’s top rookies miamiherald.com/sports/nba/mia… – 9:48 PM
Jaime Jaquez Jr. is back home. Jaquez returns to Los Angeles as one of the NBA’s top rookies miamiherald.com/sports/nba/mia… – 9:48 PM
Ira Winderman @IraHeatBeat
Return trip to Southern California part of journey of discovery for Heat’s Jaime Jaquez Jr. sun-sentinel.com/2024/01/01/ret… From earlier. – 5:18 PM
Return trip to Southern California part of journey of discovery for Heat’s Jaime Jaquez Jr. sun-sentinel.com/2024/01/01/ret… From earlier. – 5:18 PM
Anthony Chiang @Anthony_Chiang
The SoCal kid is back home. Jaime Jaquez Jr. returns to Los Angeles as one of the NBA’s top rookies miamiherald.com/sports/nba/mia… – 1:51 PM
The SoCal kid is back home. Jaime Jaquez Jr. returns to Los Angeles as one of the NBA’s top rookies miamiherald.com/sports/nba/mia… – 1:51 PM
Brady Hawk @BradyHawk305
So Kyle Lowry and Josh Richardson questionable tonight
Rotation guys for sure in:
Tyler Herro
Duncan Robinson
Jaime Jaquez
Jamal Cain
Bam Adebayo
RJ Hampton
Nikola Jovic
Kevin Love – 12:32 PM
So Kyle Lowry and Josh Richardson questionable tonight
Rotation guys for sure in:
Tyler Herro
Duncan Robinson
Jaime Jaquez
Jamal Cain
Bam Adebayo
RJ Hampton
Nikola Jovic
Kevin Love – 12:32 PM
Ira Winderman @IraHeatBeat
Return trip to Southern California part of journey of discovery for Heat’s Jaime Jaquez Jr. sun-sentinel.com/2024/01/01/ret… For the first time, the Heat first-round pick has been away from home. Now he talks about being back. – 12:22 PM
Return trip to Southern California part of journey of discovery for Heat’s Jaime Jaquez Jr. sun-sentinel.com/2024/01/01/ret… For the first time, the Heat first-round pick has been away from home. Now he talks about being back. – 12:22 PM
Ira Winderman @IraHeatBeat
Return trip to Southern California part of journey of discovery for Heat’s Jaime Jaquez Jr. sun-sentinel.com/2024/01/01/ret… “Very excited to get back out there and play in front of the home crowd.” – 10:02 AM
Return trip to Southern California part of journey of discovery for Heat’s Jaime Jaquez Jr. sun-sentinel.com/2024/01/01/ret… “Very excited to get back out there and play in front of the home crowd.” – 10:02 AM
Anthony Chiang @Anthony_Chiang
NEW: The SoCal kid is back home. Jaime Jaquez Jr. returns to Los Angeles as one of the NBA’s top rookies miamiherald.com/sports/nba/mia… “It’s been a while and I’m very excited to get back.” – 10:01 AM
NEW: The SoCal kid is back home. Jaime Jaquez Jr. returns to Los Angeles as one of the NBA’s top rookies miamiherald.com/sports/nba/mia… “It’s been a while and I’m very excited to get back.” – 10:01 AM
More on this storyline
Jaquez, 22, played four years at UCLA before being selected No. 18 in the 2023 NBA Draft. He was the first college senior taken off the board. Three other four-year players followed in the first round: Houston’s Marcus Sasser at No. 25 to the Detroit Pistons, Belmont’s Ben Sheppard at No. 26 to the Indiana Pacers and Missouri’s Kobe Brown at No. 30 to the Los Angeles Clippers. “It helped [playing all four years] just learning how to win, learning to play the right way,” Jaquez told Yahoo Sports. “Something I learned under coach [Mick] Cronin is the little games within the game and what it takes to win and knowing when to make the right play and things like that. That stuff really translates when you’re coming into an organization that’s looking to win right away.” -via Yahoo! Sports / December 31, 2023
In a draft that widely valued youth and upside (the first 13 picks were all one-and-done prospects), the Heat drafted an experienced player who brought immediate versatility and is looking like the steal of the draft with how impactful he’s been in the first few months of the season. “There were stages to his career at UCLA over four years,” Spoelstra said. “In this current NBA society, nobody really wants that. Right now, if you’re not a No. 1 option as a freshman and you’re a five-star recruit, you’re either transferring or you’re declaring. You’re not really developing any kind of grit or learning a role or embracing a role the way Jaime did. He had a different kind of path that we respect.” -via Yahoo! Sports / December 31, 2023
Cronin knew Jaquez would be an instant-impact player in his first NBA season with how well he improved and developed his game over his four years at UCLA. “I’m not surprised,” Cronin said of Jaquez’s early impact with the Heat. “I tried to give him confidence [coming into the league] and I told him because he waited and he let his game evolve and get ready, he’s unlike any other rookie. He was ready to play from Day 1.” “The biggest thing I’ve learned is to just keep playing confidently. That’s your biggest weapon here in the NBA is confidence and when you have a team that constantly gives that to you, it makes it a lot easier to go out there and play and trust in yourself,” Jaquez said. -via Yahoo! Sports / December 31, 2023