UCLA Basketball: Best Coach In NBA Excited For Ex-Bruin Rookie

Former UCLA Bruins forward Jamie Jaquez Jr. has slowly become the talk of the NBA rookie class this season. He has thrived so far with the Miami Heat and is earning his keep in the league.

Miami head coach Erik Spoelstra spoke on the former Bruins player and praised him for his contributions so far.

“He’s playing winning basketball,” Erik Spoelstra said. “He’s able to complement a lot of different lineups. He’s eating up everything right now and he’s a smart player. So he picks up things quickly. But the biggest thing is he’s a competitor, he’s a mature player and those type of characteristics can fit in with what we’re trying to do.”

Per Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald

Jaquez has fit right in with the Heat so far this season, and it has been awesome to watch it play out. His work ethic is exactly what the team is all about, and he has come in to make an immediate impact for them.

Through 20 games with the Heat, Jaquez is averaging 11.9 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game. He has also shot the ball very well from beyond the three-point line, draining 39.3 percent of his shots.

The rookie said that he wanted to land with the Heat on draft night, so it was a dream come true for him when Miami selected him in the first round.

“A lot of reasons,” Jaquez said when asked why he wanted to land with the Heat. “I think when it comes to basketball, just being under Pat Riley and coach Spo (Erik Spoelstra), I don’t think you could ask for two better guys when it comes to basketball to play under and learn from. So that was a big reason."

Per Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald

Hopefully, he can continue this hot start to his career and if he does, the sky is the limit. He landed with the perfect NBA team, and we can't wait to see what else he does this season.

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