Miami Heat Rookie Jaime Jaquez Grew Up Studying Kobe Bryant's Footwork In The Post

Former UCLA star Jaime Jaquez was a huge fan of Kobe Bryant growing up
Miami Heat Rookie Jaime Jaquez Grew Up Studying Kobe Bryant's Footwork In The Post
Miami Heat Rookie Jaime Jaquez Grew Up Studying Kobe Bryant's Footwork In The Post /
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Miami Heat rookie Jaime Jaquez grew up about an hour from the Staples Center. 

So, naturally, he watched a lot of Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant during his childhood. Jaquez studied Bryant's game for years, particularly his play in the post. 

It led to Jaquez picking up some tips on the way to becoming the Pac-10 Player of the Year and a second-team All-American last year at UCLA. 

"I would say I watched a lot of Kobe Bryant," said Jaquez, a 6-foot-6 forward. "He was my favorite player growing up. His footwork is impeccable. You saw what he did in the mid-post area."

Jaquez dominated at the college level mostly because of his ability in the post. He even developed a spin move on the block that helped his scoring. 

"It creates a lot of space," Jaquez said.

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Shandel Richardson covers the Miami Heat for Inside The Heat.

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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