While having arguably the most exciting Rookie of the Year race ever is tremendously exciting, it does tend to leave out certain players who are having strong debut seasons on their own.
Miami Heat forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. is one such player, and clearly the third-best player in this year's rookie class. In fact, you could make a reasonable argument that Jaquez himself could have won the award over a handful of times over the past 25 years, based on his current play.
The numbers themselves are solid, albeit unspectacular given his competition. 14.0 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 2.7 assists coming into Saturday's slate of games, before dropping a tough one to the New York Knicks, where he scored just six points.
It happens.
Beyond the numbers, however, is something far more interesting. Jaquez's skill level, intelligence, footwork, and timing remains some of the most intriguing aspects of his game, particularly when factoring in that he's playing next to Jimmy Butler, a man who certainly understands how to utilize that same list.
At 22, and soon-to-be 23, Jaquez is an older rookie, who was more ready for the NBA than many of his draft class peers, but that doesn't mean he doesn't have more potential to squeeze out. As we've seen over the past decade or so high-IQ players, who rely more on skill as opposed to raw athleticism, tend to reach their peak more so than players who come into the league with less feel, and less fundamentals.
Players with hops aren't prohibited from having excellent floor games, or a high understanding of the game. My point is more so that players who can only jump high have a much longer road ahead of them, than the players who rely on established skills. Jaquez is a strong example of this.
At 6-foot-7, Jaquez's comfortability with the ball mimics that of most guards. His size, strength, and footwork mimic that of most traditional power forwards, mostly those from the late 90's to mid 00's. And finally, his in-between game connects it all as he looks the role of a modern day wing.
He takes good shots - over 63% of them within ten feet of the basket, and over 28% from downtown - and is never in a rush to get them up. He's keenly aware of when he's taken one dribble too much, and gotten himself in trouble, and an expert of getting himself back out of trouble by keeping his calm, maintaining his dribble, and finding teammates.
Jaquez's willingness to pass, and his insistence on staying under control, is a healthy combination that allows him to weave his talent around the established players on the team, without coming off as shot-hungry or too individualistic.
Some might look at him and label him a role player, which for this year is probably a fair role description on the surface. But we shouldn't necessarily lock him in as such moving forward, as teammates genuinely seem to love him, as they encourage him to test his game out.
That's the sign of a player who is offered a runway from his teammates to grow. And for a guy like Jaquez, whose intelligence allows him to further dig into his potential, that's awfully good news for the Heat.
Unless noted otherwise, all stats via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball-Reference. All salary information via Spotrac. All odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.
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