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As Miami Heat rookie Jaime Jaquez Jr. continues to impress, the NBA has recognized his early performance as he was awarded Eastern Conference rookie of the month Monday. This is the first time a member of the Heat organization has received the recognition since Kendrick Nunn in the 2019-2020 season where he got it three times.
Making waves in the Association already 🌊
Jaime is the @Kia NBA Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month! pic.twitter.com/S0caP5Uto6
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) December 4, 2023
The award is based on games played in the months of October and November according to the NBA and as for Miami, Jaquez is the fifth player for the team to be rookie of the month in the conference. The others were Caron Butler (got the nod four times), Michael Beasley, Josh Richardson, and the aforementioned Nunn.
There's no doubt that Jaquez had a very impactful November being the foundation of the second unit and filling in the starting lineup when his name was called. As a whole, he's averaged 12 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 2.5 assists. In terms of rookies, he's second in total steals and steals per game, third in field goals made, and fourth in points and assists according to the Heat.
Jaquez already has trust with Heat
It's noticeable how much trust Jaquez has gained of the team and Miami head coach Erik Spoelstra as the rookie has been involved not just in the overall game-plan, but in late-game situations. Jaquez said after the win to the Indiana Pacers last Thursday that it has helped his confidence to play with exceptional veteran leadership on the team.
“It's been great. Just to have such great veteran leaders on this team, and they're giving me a lot of confidence to be able to play my game and do what I do,” Jaquez said. “And I think that's really the biggest thing is having a teammates trust in you along with your coach to go out there and play your game and understand that, I'm here to help the team win. So it's been great.”
Miami Heat’s Jaime Jaquez Jr. talks about the veteran leadership on the team that gives him the confidence to perform.
He scored a season-high 24 points. #HEATCulture pic.twitter.com/LdrqKLio97
— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) December 1, 2023
Why does Heat coach Erik Spoelstra trust him so much? Well, it involves the poise that Jaquez has, which is unlike most rookies. Spoelstra touts Jaquez's basketball intelligence being the result of having massive big-game experience at the college-level when he was at UCLA.
“It's experience, it's poise, it's reading what's necessary for that possession? And I think a lot of young players just either paint by numbers. They're thinking either I'm just going to get to my spot and shoot or they're trying to do whatever the game plan may be and not reading what's happening,” Spoelstra said. “He has a poise about him that he can be aggressive and then also read the defense. I think that's just born out of a lot of experiences by a lot of big college basketball games where you can make decision after decision after decision for that team to be successful.”
Jaquez in a “good headspace”
Drafted 18th overall in the latest NBA draft, he's looked like the possible steal of the draft due to the placement in where he was taken. It seems as if the sky is the limit for Jaquez as the Heat have been known for crafting young players into stars. In an exclusive interview with ClutchPoints, Jaquez said that he's in a “good headspace” at the moment which could have led to him being comfortable on and off the court.
“When things get hard, you always got to ask yourself, do you really love it? And my answer is always yes. I think I'm in a good headspace right now,” Jaquez said. “I'm just trying to enjoy, this new experience, you know, traveling to different cities, being in new places, going to new arenas, like I think it's all fun, especially you know, but it's a perspective of growing up and looking at all these arenas, great places on his team and finally getting to live a dream. So I've been enjoying it, it's been a lot of fun.”
Oklahoma City Thunders' Chet Holmgren was the rookie of the month in the Western Conference along with Jaquez on the other side. In terms of the best rookies in the NBA, people might lean Wembanyama or Holmgren, but Jaquez deserves to be in that conversation.
The Heat are currently 11-9 on the season after they lost the second game to the Pacers last Saturday which puts them at seventh in the Eastern Conference. Jaquez will get to showcase more of his talents as the Heat travel up North to take on the Toronto Raptors this Wednesday before returning back home to take on the Cleveland Cavaliers Friday.
