2024-03-31 09:20:42
In the 2023 Christmas game, Heat rookie Jaime Jaquez Jr. is the first rookie in the history of the Heat to start in the Christmas game. He is also the first player since 1989 to score at least 30 points and 10 points in a single game. Rebounding rookie. His outstanding performance also allowed head coach Spoelstra to extend his record to a perfect 9-0 on Christmas Day.
In this year’s draft, everyone’s eyes are first on Victor Wembanyama, who is 7 feet 4 inches tall from France and is hailed as the next unicorn, and then on Brandon Miller and Scooter Henderson to see who will be the second overall pick, and then on. There are also the Thompson twins and others. Although Jaquez Jr. is considered to have a certain ability to hold the ball and change his feet in the scouting report, he is not unnoticed, but participating in the draft as a senior is indeed not the focus of everyone’s attention.
The first thing that attracted people’s attention to Jaquez Jr. was not his relatively mature skills, but his flowing long hair. As early as the UCLA days, Jaquez Jr. got the nickname Juan Wick (Juan in Spanish is John in English) because of his resemblance to John Wick, the protagonist of the defense mission starring Keanu Reeves. He won the Eastern Conference Rookie of the Year in November and December consecutively (averaging 12 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.5 assists in November; averaging 16.1 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.7 assists in December, with a shooting percentage of 48.1%) , his performance on the court was recognized by his teammates, and “Juan Wick” immediately became his nickname recognized by everyone in the Heat.
“It’s really funny,” Jaquez Jr. said in the interview: “It must have been when I was in college, my teammates (Juan Wick) made fun of me regarding this. Later, in the summer league, someone mentioned it once more, my The family thought it was funny, too. I love Keanu Reeves and the franchise so much, so I took it as a compliment, even though I always found it hilarious.”
Apart from Juan Wick, Jaquez Jr. shows more maturity and immediate performance on the court that many rookies today do not have. Today’s draft highly values youth and potential. 10 of the 17 players selected before Jaquez Jr. only entered the draft following their freshman year (or the equivalent of a freshman), and there were no juniors at all. This is also true. The Heat’s acquisition of Jaquez Jr. looks like a steal in the draft. Head coach Spoelstra also did not hesitate to express his recognition of Jaquez Jr.’s college experience: “Most young people who only stay in college for one year and then enter the NBA draft have not been able to learn basketball skills and hone their skills in the game during school. The mental ability to resist pressure and even learn to be a role player. But Jaime is different from them, he really walked a path that is only his own.”
Jaquez Jr. also said: “Playing a full four years of college will help me learn how to win. Playing under Mick Cronin (UCLA head coach) taught me that every offense and defense in the game is a mini game. If we want to win the game (including every wave of offense and defense), we must learn to grasp the opportunity and make the right decisions. And these experiences will really help me quickly integrate into a team that wants to win immediately. “
As the person who has been most familiar with the development of Jaquez Jr.’s skills over the past four years, Cronin is convinced that he can definitely contribute to the team from the first day of his rookie season. After all, he has been honing in school for four full years. He said: “I am not surprised at all that Jaquez Jr. can perform so well. After all, he has been training in school for so long. Before the draft, I kept giving him confidence and told him that he was completely different from others.” Rookie, he’s ready.”
During his time at UCLA, Jaquez Jr. was given more tasks and responsibilities on both ends of the offense and defense every year. By his senior year, a very high proportion of UCLA’s offense would be launched through Jaquez Jr. ( Usage 27.9; Control group: Jimmy Butler’s USG% in the 2020-21 season reached 26.6, which was also the highest season of his career). In the end, he averaged 17.8 points, 8.2 rebounds and 2.4 assists throughout the season and won the Pac-12 Player of the Year award in UCLA’s division. This was the first time a UCLA player won this award since Kevin Love in 2008. In addition, he was also selected at the same time. Second team All-American and Pac-12 first team selection for two consecutive years. It was only then that Jaime Jaquez Jr. finally decided he was ready to challenge the NBA.
Jaquez Jr. also deeply agrees with the details Cronin told him: Since I entered UCLA, the coach has always told me to play with confidence, even if I enter the NBA. Our entire team plays with this attitude. Over time, you will believe that you can achieve certain goals during the game.
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