Miami coach announcement that he is leaving the heat now another significant issue for the team…
Miami Heat rookie small forward Jaime Jaquez Jr., formerly a four-year UCLA Bruins standout, had been projected ahead of the 2023 draft as a mid-first round pick. Knowing this, he was aware of the clubs in his potential range. And he wanted to be selected by the Heat, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. “I think when it comes to basketball, just being under [team president] Pat Riley and coach [Erik Spoelstra], I don’t think you could ask for two better guys when it comes to basketball to play under and learn from,” Jaquez said. “So that was a big reason. I also didn’t want to stay in L.A. for all my life. I wanted to get out and be somewhere new, kind of challenge myself to get out of my comfort zone. So coming to Miami was a spot that I always really loved. I had been here before a couple times and I just loved the city, loved everything about it. So I just really wanted to come here
In the end, the Heat used the No. 18 pick to choose the 6’6″ wing. Consensus All-American Second Team member for 2023, Chet Holmgren of the Oklahoma City Thunder, and Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs rank as the two best rookies thus far this season. This season, through 20 games, Jaquez is averaging 12 points with a slash line of.525/.393/.793, 3.9 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.1 steals.
