2023 NBA Draft Team Recap: Miami Heat
Perhap no team in the NBA is more in limbo right now than the Miami Heat as they continue their pursuit of Portland Trail Blazers guard, Damian Lillard.
There has already been some significant turnover on this 2023 NBA Finals roster with the losses of Max Strus, Gabe Vincent and Victor Oladipo, combined with the additions of Josh Richardson, Kevin Love and Thomas Bryant.
Of course, that turnover will be even more drastic should Pat Riley and company be successful in acquiring Lillard. Not only should that trade involve multiple first round picks but also Tyler Herro - whether that is to the Blazers or a third team - and some combination of Nikola Jovic, Caleb Martin and Duncan Robinson.
The young player it sounds like the Heat would like to not be involved in that trade is their 2023 NBA draft pick, Jaime Jaquez Jr.
While Jaquez Jr. to the Heat may not have been the player-team fit mocked the most throughout the draft process - that distinction would go to Dereck Lively II to the Dallas Mavericks - it was one that picked up a lot of steam as the draft drew closer.
“Heat Culture” is a term we are all very familiar with and the 6-foot-7 wing from UCLA seems to be a perfect fit for that culture. Jaquez Jr. is a fourth year senior and 22-years-old and while that age and experience may be frowned upon by some organizations, it is exactly what a team like the Heat are looking for from a first round pick.
The California native does a little bit of everything as he fills up the stat sheet. This past season for the Bruins he averaged 17.8 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.5 steals and 0.6 blocks per game on shooting splits of 48-32-71.
That 3-point shooting percentage - and even the low 70s free throw percentage - is possibly the biggest question mark around Jaquez’ game, one that is described by many as “old school.” While Erik Spoelstra could use him in some creative ways to play with the ball in his hands and initiate offense, Jaquez Jr. will have to be able to knock down shots playing off the ball.
It was an extremely small sample size from two Sacramento summer league games but it is worth mentioning that he did go 4-of-9 from beyond the 3-point line in those games.
It is extremely difficult to say right now where the rookie will play in the Heat rotation this season, or if he will even be playing in Miami, because of the uncertainty around the roster.
However, considering how high the Heat seemed to be on Jaquez Jr., it would not be surprising to see him in the regular season rotation and that possibility rises even more should Lillard be acquired in a multi-player deal that sends out other rotation pieces for the star guard.
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