Miami Heat's Jaime Jaquez Benefitting From Four Years At UCLA

The Miami Heat were banking on rookie Jaime Jaquez's experience to make an immediate impact player.

So far, he hasn't disappointed.

Jaquez had 17 points and five rebounds in 33 minutes in Tuesday's win against the Charlotte Hornets. He is averaging 9.1 points in 22 minutes this season as a rotation player.

"I'm just learning as I go," Jaquez said. "This is a game that I've played my entire life. This is all I've every wanted to do. I knew when I got my chance I was going to be ready. That's why I did four years of college, to prepare for this so I could be ready and confident in my abilities."

Jaquez played four seasons at UCLA, allowing him to develop as a player. He was the Pac 12 Player of the Year as a senior. His experience was the main reason the Heat chose him late in the first round in the June draft.

After overcoming injuries in the summer and training camp, Jaquez has become a valuable asset.

"At the beginning, it was a little slow," Jaquez said. "I was coming back from injury. It's just the little things: don't turn it over, make the right play to earn trust in the coach ... That's just all I try to do."

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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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