Inside The Heat

Miami Heat's Jaime Jaquez Finishes Fourth In Rookie Of The Year Voting Behind Winner Victor Wembanyama

Shandel Richardson

Michael Laughlin-USA TODAY Sports
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Miami Heat forward Jaime Jaquez exceeded all expectations in his first year in the league.

He was rewarded Monday by finishing fourth in the NBA Rookie of the Year voting. The award was won by French phenom Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs. He finished with 495 points, ahead of Oklahoma City Thunder center Chet Holmgren (295) and the Charlotte Hornets' Brandon Miller (86). Jaquez had 10 points, receiving all third-place votes.

Jaquez averaged 11.9 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists on 48 percent shooting. He was often referred to as the steal of the draft after being selected No. 18 in the first round last June. A four-year player at UCLA, Jaquez entered the season NBA-ready.

At one point, he he was near the top of the rookie race after a strong start to the season. An injury caused him to lose some momentum but Jaquez was chosen to participate in the Rising Stars Challenge, which showcases the league's top rookies and second-year players.

Jaquez had a strong end to the season. Heat coach Erik Spoelstra felt confident enough to start him in place of Jimmy Butler, who was sidelined for the playoffs because of a knee injury. He averaged 12.8 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.0 assists in the Heat's first-round loss to the Boston Celtics.


Shandel Richardson covers the Miami Heat for Inside The Heat, a Fan Nation channel for Sports Illustrated. He has covered the NBA since 2010.

TWITTER: @ShandelRich

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Shandel Richardson
SHANDEL RICHARDSON

Shandel has covered the NBA since 2010, with previous stops at The Athletic and South Florida Sun-Sentinel.  He has covered six NBA Finals, one Super Bowl, the NCAA basketball tournament. He has also been a beat writer for the Miami Hurricanes and contributed on every major beat in South Florida since 2003, including the Miami Dolphins and Miami Marlins. He can also be read in the Sportsbook Review for gambling coverage from around the NBA. A native of Bloomington, Illinois, Shandel attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He's also worked for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Kansas City Star.  TWITTER: @ShandelRich EMAIL: shandelrich@gmail.com You can subscribe to our YouTube channel here Follow all of our Miami Heat coverage on Facebook here