Miami Heat fans will recognize a familiar face on the Summer League team for the first two games as star Jaime Jaquez Jr. joins the squad and performed on a high level after they beat the Boston Celtics, 119-114, to start play in Las Vegas Saturday. He spoke after the game about how it felt to be out there with other players alongside him who are trying to make a name for themselves and possibly earn a roster spot,
Funny enough, Jaquez has played the same amount of Summer League games as last year where he had an shoulder injury that held him out for most of it as a rookie. After scoring 29 points and collecting 11 rebounds in what was an impressive performance, he spoke about taking the “hunter” approach and how he is being looked at by Summer League players “after a year under your belt” according to Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald.
“You’re the hunter and now coming back after a year under your belt, you’re kind of the hunted,” Jaquez said. “So it was definitely a good experience to go out there.”
Jaquez talks about his goals with Heat during Summer League
Jaquez was selected with the 18th overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft and was immediately a contributor in Heat head coach's Erik Spoelstra's rotation as a rookie. He would have back-to-back Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month honors, finished fourth in Rookie of the Year voting, and was on the NBA's All-Rookie first team as his goal for his two Summer League games is “to get better.”
“I think I just wanted to get better, No. 1,” Jaquez said. “I think, No. 2 is working on things in my game and things outside of basketball that still translate such as leadership and being very vocal — both on the defensive and offensive end and huddles.”
Last season, he would average 11.9 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game while shooting 48.9 percent from the field as he appeared in a team-high 75 games even with injuries plaguing the rest of the Heat. His performance against the Celtics Saturday caught the attention of Miami's Summer League head coach and player development coach Dan Bisaccio who called him a “leader” to the younger players.
“Jaime was a leader out there,” Bisaccio said. “He was able to get us settled, he was able to get us organized. Those are all things that translate to his second season, so we’re very excited about that.”
“He’s been working extremely hard behind the scenes,” Bisaccio continued. “So we’re just excited to see how that looks.”
Why Jaquez is with the Heat's Summer League team
It was the perfect situation for Jaquez to be with the Heat during the Summer League as he was already in Las Vegas, Nevada on Team USA' Select Team to practice against the Olympic squad as they look to obtain gold in Paris, France. The 23-year old detailed his summer plan and how working with superstar players like LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and many others has helped his journey becoming a great player in the association.
“Those are the two games that I’m going to be playing in here with these guys,” Jaquez said via The Miami Herald. “Try to get some work in, get better, work on my game and try to get two wins.”
“To be around such great players with Team USA, it was just such a special moment and a great honor for myself to be able to learn and just see how those guys work and operate,” Jaquez continued. “Then to be able to play against them, it was really just a dream come true. You got those guys who have been really pioneering around the NBA for the past 10 years and all come on the same team probably for their last go at a gold medal together. It’s really exciting.”
Jaquez cites “Heat Culture” as reason to compete in Summer League
Jaquez is not the only member of the 2023 NBA Draft class that is with their respective teams during the Summer League as others include Rookie of the Year finalist and Charlotte Hornets forward Brandon Miller and Golden State Warriors standout Brandin Podziemski. Talking about the decision to play during the summer, Jaquez would cite the famous saying of his team saying it is “the Heat Culture” way.
“I mean, it’s the Heat culture, man,” Jaquez said. “We want to see what I can do, try to get better, build on my game, help these guys coming in with the knowledge that I have from my one year. Try to work on my leadership skills, just a lot of things. Just working on my game.”
Jaquez on the Heat's relatively quite offseason
There is now a lot of expectations for Jaquez going in to his second season in the league where he now has to adapt to opposing defenses who will no doubt scout the UCLA product heavily. Miami has a ton of confidence in him, partly proven by the team's quiet offseason, showing their confidence in their current state which Jaquez sees the front office as “betting on the guys.”
“I think when you look at what they’ve been doing in the offseason, they’re betting on the guys that they’ve brought in here, guys that they have drafted,” Jaquez said. “As a player, you got to respect that and you want to make good on their bets.
“Betting on us, so it’s our job, especially us younger guys like myself and [Nikola Jovic], to step up into these roles and take that challenge,” Jaquez continued. “I think we’re both ready for it, especially going into the next year. He’s got two years under his belt, I got one. Just continue to build off what we’ve learned. We got a lot of experience from this last year and I’m really excited to see what we can do into this next year.”
At any rate, the Heat are looking to improve after finishing at the eighth seed for the second straight season where they had a 46-36 record. In terms of the Summer League, Miami next faces the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday in Las Vegas in what is likely to be Jaquez's last game with the developmental group.
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