Miami Heat's Jaime Jaquez Revisits Favorite Memory From His Rookie Season

Anthony Pasciolla | Jul 24, 2024

Mar 20, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Miami Heat guard Jaime Jaquez Jr. (11) drives against Cleveland Cavaliers forward Georges Niang (20) in the second quarter at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports / David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

Miami Heat rising sophomore Jaime Jaquez Jr. got a taste of nearly every aspect of the NBA in his rookie campaign, leaving him with countless memories.

While the Heat fell early in the postseason, Jaquez played a major role due to injuries in their rotation. Despite testing the waters of the NBA playoffs, his favorite memory comes from an intense regular-season battle against the Indiana Pacers.

"I remember Josh Richardson throwing me a lob against the Indiana Pacers," Jaquez said. "We were going back and forth and it kind of broke the game open, crowd was going crazy. Super high scoring."

Watch the highlight play at the timestamp of 8:23 in the video below:

The game took place on Nov. 30 in Indiana, where the Heat walked away victorious, 142-132. Jaquez exploded for 24 points and five rebounds in the win, slamming home the referenced alley-oop with about four minutes left. It felt like the nail in the coffin, extending their lead to 14 points. Veteran star Jimmy Butler also thrived in the matchup, recording 36 points, 11 rebounds, and three assists.

The Pacers got their revenge less than a week later in another high-scoring face off, 144-129. The Heat ended up losing the season series as the Pacers won their final matchup of the year in April.

Jaquez is looking to build off his rookie season after earning a spot on the NBA All-Summer League Second Team from just two appearances.

Anthony Pasciolla works as a contributing writer to Inside the Heat. He can be reached at ampasciolla@gmail.com or follow him on X @AnthonyPasci.

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