Jaime Jaquez's Rookie Season With Miami Heat On Par With Jayson Tatum So Far
Miami Heat rookie Jaime Jaquez has received lots of praise for his impressive rookie season.
He's been the steal of last summer's draft, averaging 14 points, 3.9 assists, 2.7 assists on 51 percent shooting. Now, let's compare those to Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum's first year in the league in 2017.
Tatum's numbers: 13.9 points, five rebounds, 1.6 assists on 47 percent shooting. Those number were good enough for him to win Rookie of the Year that season.
"First of all, Jaime is a baller," Heat legend Dwyane Wade said of Jaquez. "Let's just start there."
Jaquez, who is out with a groin injury, is ranked No. 3 in this week's NBA.com Rookie Ladder, trailing only Victor Wembanyama (San Antonio Spurs) and Chet Holmgren (Oklahoma City Thunder).
Many feel Jaquez has benefitted from playing four years at UCLA.
“There were stages to his career at UCLA over four years," Heat coach Spoelstra told Yahoo Sports' Krysten Peek. "In this current NBA society, nobody really wants that. Right now, if you’re not a No. 1 option as a freshman & you’re a 5-star recruit, you’re either transferring or you’re declaring. You’re not really developing any kind of grit or learning a role or embracing a role the way Jaime did. He had a different kind of path that we respect.”
Shandel Richardson covers the Miami Heat for Inside The Heat, a Fan Nation channel for Sports Illustrated. He has covered the NBA since 2010.
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