A Deep Dive into Jaime Jaquez Jr
A Deep Dive into Jaime Jaquez Jr
A deep dive into the rookie season that Jaquez had & how didn't look like a rookie
In the upcoming days, we’ll be taking a look at each key player for the Miami Heat in more depth. We’ll be taking a deep dive into the kind of season they just had, what they showed, what they were good at, what still needs to be worked on, what do they need to make a potential leap, and projecting what their season is and should look like.
I wasn’t expecting Jaime Jaquez Jr to come out and be this impactful and good as a rookie. Yes, he’s an older rookie but that doesn’t change much. There weren’t many players his age who could do what he did on a good team. He somehow came in and had me wonder where he already ranks on the team.
I recently talked about who could potentially be the third-best player and my choice was, quite easily, Jaquez. If you want to read more on that, you can find that down below in The Heat Report:
Based on the kind of season he had, what his strengths were, and what needed to get better, I don’t think it’s that unreasonable or unrealistic to think so. It mainly has to do with what he already did so well because that aspect is one of the hardest to develop.
He’s definitely one of the players that I’m most looking forward to for this season.
So, let’s have a look at his rookie season, how it was so impactful, the growth he’s shown, how many key games he’s had, and what can we expect in his sophomore year!
If I had to briefly summarise his season, it would be that he looked more ready than I’d expected. He was showing things on both ends of the floor that he doesn’t play or think like a rookie. He made that clear right from the get-go.
It didn’t take him long to show off some of his offense. It literally happened in the first game against the Pistons where he was going to work in the post. Or a few days later showing his IQ offensively by being a good cutter and passer.
For the season he averaged 15.7 points 5.0 rebounds and 3.4 assists per 75 possession on 53.6% eFG and 57.4% TS. Pretty solid numbers for a rookie. It also didn’t take him long for him to warrant more usage and still be just as effective — from November 11th to December 12th(Tyler Herro being out), he was fourth on the team in touches with 52.3 and his time of possession jumped from 0.8 in that first week to 2.7.
The reason for such an increase in usage and touches was that he deserved it. In those 18 games, he three 20+ pts and 12 with 15+. Some of it was because of a hot 3pt shooting stretch, though.
But the way he was doing it all and the way he quickly improved in real time was a big reason why I was asking myself how long is it going to take for him to be the team’s third most impactful player. The answer to that is looking likely not long. It all depends on the consistency going forward.
Immediately his offensive IQ stood out. He wasn’t going to be demanding the ball or having a lot of touches, so he needed to make it work without the ball. That’s where his off-ball movement and smart cutting was displayed:
He found so many ways as a cutter to find easy looks. He was in the dunker spot relocating constantly behind the defense. If he was in the corner and the defense was helping off him early, he knew when to time those timely cuts as the defense rotated. He’s an active screener and knows when to slip or change direction. And the favourite part was him cutting into space from the wings and having that feel.
Being able to be an effective off-ball player and be efficient doing so is much, much more important than anything else on a good team to fit with everyone. If you can move well without the ball and get efficient looks, there will be a role somewhere for you. That’s how he was able to find a role for himself. By being able to fit whatever was needed for him and be impactful that way.
That quickly grew, though. With Herro out, there was more opportunities for him to show what he’s capable of if you do involve him in the offense more. The way he approached that, was the reason he ended up being so impactful.
Arguably the most important thing a player can do on-ball is provide rim pressure and generate efficient shot for himself(and then others).
Per BBall-Index, he was already generating 3.3 unassisted rim FGA per 75 and is shooting 65.3% at the rim overall. He already was third on the team in rim FGA. 36.4% of his shots were at the rim — that’s higher than both Adebayo and Butler.
The best part about his rim pressure and overall paint pressure(and why I’m so high on him) is the way he did it and how easy it looked. We already mentioned with his off-ball cutting being one of the ways.
He was also one of the better finishers on the team in transition. He shot 60.4% in transition, which would be third overall on the team. Almost 20% of his offense comes in transition:
When he gets that full head of steam, he was able to get right to the rim many times. This is the thing that the Heat lacked so much.
But he was just as good creating for himself. He did this in two ways — in the post and off the dribble. He is very comfortable in the post.
He averaged 1.05 points per possession on 0.9 post ups per game(7.2% of his offense). I can’t remember the last time I saw a rookie with that elite footwork. This has been such an effective weapon for him where he made it look easy to get guys in the air, biting on his fake, or creating so much separation. This has made some of the matchups much easier for him to exploit. He can overpower someone smaller.
One thing that I’ll be looking for is how he will look to approach the attack if he can’t get an advantage initially. At times, he tries to back someone down, but can’t and just goes up into the defender that feels out of control and throws something up.
He averaged 0.83 PPP on 1.6 PNR possessions(13.4%) and 0.88 on 0.8 isolation(6.6%). I’ve enjoyed seeing those reps of him creating off the dribble whether in isolation or a PNR ball handler. That has been very encouraging to see. This is an area that does require a lot more work for it to be an effective option at a higher volume, though. There is still some issues with how he gets to the rim, sometimes looking like he is out of control. I think that also contributes to some of the misses when he looks to self create them or to the turnovers — 21.8% of his PNRs end in a turnover.
But the fact that this was showing to this extent in his rookie season is very encouraging. There’s already something to build on. Even if it doesn’t get much better and he stays relatively the same where this is the floor, you’re still getting someone that is capable of shooting over 65% at the rim on similar attempts as Butler(though in different ways).
The things that I’d hoping for now when it comes to his on-ball scoring, is him adding a pull up threat or a shot around the paint. That hasn’t been even an option for him and that makes him easier to guard. Part of that is why teams have been able to go under his screens — on that note, it was only in summer league, but he did show more willingness to let it fly with the confidence of a pull-up when they did.
A player needs to have multiple things that he can go to. It’s great that he can attack the rim at will or slow it down and get to the post. But now, the next step is to add some variety in his drives and PNRs, which means being more patient in his attacks. It means taking the open pull-up when the defense gives him that. He already has the harder skill more under control.
In addition to all of that, he’s already been the third best foul drawer for the team. He averaged 4.1 FTA per 100 possessions and had a .251 free throw rate. Again, showing that he’s able to generate easy, efficient looks. That rim pressure combined with the foul drawing is the best skill to have, even if it’s in limited usage.
This doesn’t have to be something that leads him to be a high volume on-ball player, but the skill itself is the most valuable thing you could have.
That’s why he had a handful of great performances. Here are some game breakdowns of those performances:
Just look how easy all of those performances were. It’s a whole combination of off-ball cuts, going to work in the post, attacking in isolation, or playing out of the PNR. The versatility is what makes his offense so impactful.
Right now, I don’t know how effective he’d be at any of those actions specifically, but I don’t think it’s that important — unless the conversation is with him being a star. For that to happen, all of the things he’s done well, he’d need to be better and more consistent.
But when it comes to playing the role on a good team, with reasonable adjustments and improvements, he should make himself a very effective scorer.
Fortunately for Jaquez, scoring isn’t the only thing he was showing off. He has flashed so much of his passing ability. That was another thing I was impressed with and it was also something that the Heat have begun to use more off. Even to start the year, he was used as a hub to make reads to cutters.
I think that illustrates the IQ of his passing in general where he’s able to be used as a hub or in post splits. That makes running the off-ball movement easier knowing you have a guy that is capable of recognizing such windows. Or it’s the constant rim pressure that he’s able to draw the defense to make reads out of that.
What really impressed me, which again helps with the potential higher ceiling, is the passing off the dribble, tough window passing, skip passes, and making plays out of the pick and roll or when providing rim pressure.
It’s these kind of passes that provide more impact. Seeing a rookie do that is again wildly impressive. It’s obviously not there yet at a level that you could run high volume of the offense through him, but it’s another option to have in limited usage. That needs to be the reminder that he’s in an ideal role in terms of usage and volume. If there is consistency, that’s when you can see where the potential could be.
One big factor in all of this is going to be his 3pt shooting. That was the main question mark heading into the season for him and that remains to be one. His 3pt shooting has been inconsistent and streaky:
He started the season hot and that’s why he was so good in November, but that died off and disappeared in stetches. If he will want to be as impactful as he can be in the current role, he will have to be able to knock down spot up 3s.
For the season he shot 34.4% on 2.5 catch and shoot 3s, including 27.9% on open 3s. He shot 39.3% on 3.0 through December 1st, but since then that dropped to 32.3% on 2.3. He will need to be a much better spot up shooter and this is likely to be a necessity.
Overall, offensively, he has shown so much promise in all areas that I am almost convinced that he’s going to be the team’s third-best and most impactful offensive player.
There’s just so much positive about his game that translates in many ways. He is a smart offensive player. He can generate easy, efficient looks without the ball because of the off-ball movement, the cutting, and the finishing.
Even when he’s tasked with on-ball responsibilities, he’s shown a lot there too. Whether that’s sustainable or warrants more, it’s a different discussion and it’s something that we will have to wait and see. But as a complementary option the majority of the time, it’s enough to be an impactful player. The skill for that is clearly there.
Let’s also get to his defense, because that was also encouraging and it’s another part of why I think he’s gonna be the third-best player.
It was a poor start defensively, particularly when it comes to off-ball awareness, defensive communication, rotations, and just knowing what to do. There’s no over-exaggeration there, he was a rookie, so it’s fair to assume that the game was too fast at the start. Because it is encouraging that it did look better as time went on.
He definitely tries on defense. There were many instances of him going at good on-ball players and being able to hold his own. He showed promise there too. One of the favourites I liked throughout the year was some of his passing lane steals. It did feel very Butler-esque.
There were definitely a lot of positives towards the end of the year, especially as a team defender. I still wonder what his ideal role on defense would be, though. I don’t think he’d be a player put on guards as a point of attack defender. He’d definitely be more suited on wings.
As a whole, this was a successful season for Jaquez. It was a bit up and down with the shooting. He did struggle coming back after the injuries.
But any time a player comes in looking like an experienced vet and is making high level reads, looks comfortable, is efficient, generates easy looks at the rim, and gets to the line. Yes, he’s an older rookie but even players his age with more experience aren’t doing what he was doing.
This was showing in the playoffs where the defense was keyed in on everything. He shot 80% at the rim against the Celtics! His first playoff appearance was also encouraging!
This is why I’m looking forward to see him in this season. He’s already shown the foundation that can be build on. The most valuable skills that you’d hope for any role player to have, he already has.
I think that’s a clear floor for him. I can see his potential already as an impactful role player, especially if he refines the defense and makes the 3pt shot more consistent. Why can’t he be a 25mpg efficient, role player right now?
One question that has come up is with him starting or should he be kept off the bench. I still think the best route is off the bench. There isn’t a reason for it to change things if it isn’t broke. This is just his second season. What’s the rush to change anything just for the sake of change, especially when you consider what he does that’s similar to Butler and you’d still have Adebayo on the court.
With all three on, they were +4.7 net with 115.3 offensive rating. Take Adebayo off, it’s +11.6 with 123.6 ORTG. The spacing helps a lot with Love as the big if you have both Butler and Jaquez. It’s harder to incorporate Adebayo in that too. Plus you’d still want someone of the bench to play that role, if you promote Jaquez, who’s playing Jaquez’s role? There’s no one else with that kind of skillset and ability.
With all that said, I’m a looking forward to seeing the improvements he can make. With hearing the USA select team stories, that even makes it more encouraging. Right now, as a floor, I hope that all of the things he was doing well is improved enough that he simply added something to each. I’m not hoping or expecting some leap where he’s running the show or is getting 15+ shots. That’s not what even should happen.