Getting drafted by the Miami Heat was the ideal scenario for Jaime Jaquez Jr., as he’s been balling for them this season, averaging 12.3 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game on 48.6 percent shooting from the field.
The 23-year-old UCLA product is one of the frontrunners for the NBA Rookie of the Year award this season, which is not what exactly everybody saw coming when he was picked with the No. 18 pick during last summer’s draft.
According to The Athletic’s William Guillory in his recent column, Jaime Jaquez Jr. wanted to join the Miami Heat because Jimmy Butler is his favorite player in the NBA.
“The team picking next was the real dream scenario for Jaquez Jr. and his family. The Heat had everything they were looking for: A new city with a diverse culture, a team that prioritized winning to the highest degree, and the presence of both of their idols,” wrote Guillory.
“While Jaquez Sr. hoped his son could be attached to [Pat] Riley and protégé Erik Spoelstra, the younger Jaquez zeroed in on Butler, who had eclipsed [Kobe] Bryant as his favorite NBA player,” he added.
“I loved watching Jimmy because he’s a complete player on both ends and he leaves everything on the floor,” said Jaime Jaquez Jr. “He’s a winner, and that’s the type of player I want to be.”
Jimmy Butler loves having Jaime Jaquez Jr. as his Miami Heat teammate
Fortunately for Jaime Jaquez Jr., Jimmy Butler has taken him under his wing in what is characterized as a “mentor-mentee relationship” by William Guillory. Butler is the perfect mentor for Jaquez because of the journey he has been through before becoming a bonafide NBA star.
Like Jaquez, Butler was also drafted late in the first round (No. 30) in 2011 by the Chicago Bulls. He started his NBA career as nothing more than a defensive specialist.
However, he expanded his role in time and made the most of his opportunity, improving his scoring from 2.6 points per game in his rookie year to 23.9 points per game in his final year in Windy City.
Butler won the 2015 Most Improved Player of the Year award and is a six-time NBA All-Star, one-time All-NBA Second Team member, four-time All-NBA Third Team member, and five-time NBA All-Defensive Second Team member, and perhaps Jaquez can follow in his footsteps.
“He has so much room to get better,” Butler says. “He’s so confident. He wants to make the right play every time. It’s not like he’s (playing like) a rookie. He knows what it takes to win,” Butler said about Jaquez.
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