Heat rookie Jaime Jaquez impresses with ‘poise, footwork and fundamentals’ in preseason debut

Most NBA rookies aren’t immediately impressing with their footwork. But Miami Heat wing Jaime Jaquez Jr. isn’t a typical rookie.

Jaquez is the first four-year college player the Heat has selected within the first 20 picks of the draft since taking forward Kurt Thomas out of Texas Christian with the 10th overall pick in 1995.

Jaquez, who was drafted by the Heat with the 18th overall pick in June after playing four seasons at UCLA, did many things well in his first NBA preseason game. But Jaquez’s advanced footwork in the post is what stood out the most in the Heat’s 113-109 win over the Charlotte Hornets on Tuesday night at Kaseya Center to open its five-game preseason schedule before straining his left groin in Wednesday’s practice.

“It’s unusual for a college player to have that kind of poise, footwork and fundamentals,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said when asked about Jaquez following the preseason victory. “That’s usually older veteran players that learn that kind of footwork. The patience usually takes a little bit of time. But he’s a four-year guy, so he’s developed a lot of those skills and he played in a lot of big games. We think that matters.”

On his way to finishing the Heat’s preseason opener with 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting from the field, 0-of-1 shooting on threes and 3-of-4 shooting from the foul line, seven rebounds and two assists in 24 minutes off the bench, the 22-year-old Jaquez flashed his fancy footwork.

One of the highlights of the night was a post move by Jaquez that resembled the “Dream Shake,” which Hakeem Olajuwon made famous. After Jaquez caught a pass on a cut toward the basket midway through the second quarter on Tuesday, he stopped at the edge of the paint and threw a ball fake at Hornets veteran forward Gordon Hayward with his left hand before spinning the other way and then stepping through for a layup with his right hand over Hayward and shot-blocking Hornets center Mark Williams, all while keeping his right foot planted on the court to avoid the travel.

“I think that goes back to my park days,” Jaquez said when asked when he started developing his nifty footwork. “Just watching guys like that on the low post, on the elbows and just really trying to go to the park and put that into my game. So it started at a really young age and just watch the way they move. I think imitation is like a really great way of learning. I just watched them and tried to copy it, honestly.”

Jaquez has also spent a lot of time studying the footwork of various NBA players, including one of his favorite players and current Heat teammate Jimmy Butler. Jaquez, who was born and raised in the Los Angeles area, also grew up idolizing the skills of Lakers icon Kobe Bryant.

“He’s watched a great deal of Kobe and Jimmy,” Spoelstra said. “I think it takes a unique person to be that observant and then have that kind of patience to be able to work on something, particularly a young player. Most young players are sped up and are trying to do everything so fast. He has a patience to his game.

“I want to say, the word that comes to my mind is methodical. But it’s not because he plays with force, he plays with energy, he plays with pace. But it’s on his terms and that is unique for a young player. It’s tough to do, to be able to observe something, work on it and then implement it. I think that also is a skill, which a lot of players don’t have and he does.”

Spoelstra doesn’t like to make comparisons, but he hinted following Tuesday’s preseason game that he feels Jaquez’s pretty footwork is reminiscent of Butler’s.

“I don’t want to get into some comparisons,” Spoelstra said, with the Heat now off until Friday’s nationally televised preseason matchup against the Spurs and rookie phenom Victor Wembanyama in San Antonio. “But there are some that I think are valid, probably some close to us.”

Jaquez, who is listed at 6-foot-6 and 230 pounds, described his footwork near the paint as “a lot of improvisation.”

“It’s all just feel,” he said. “It’s kind of like I react to the defense and not have the defense react to me. So I just set up something, set up going one way and spin the other way. It’s just a lot of feel. So if a guy is playing me on my back to one side, spin to that side and also keep them on their toes with a little shimmy and a shake. It ends up working out a lot of times.”

While encouraging, Jaquez’s performance came in the Heat’s first preseason game. A pair of Heat rotation regulars (Butler and Caleb Martin) did not play and Jaquez had the ball in his hands more than he usually will, as the Heat put his skill set to the test in the exhibition contest.

Jaquez passed his first test, but a consistent role at the start of the regular season is not guaranteed as part of a deep Heat roster. He knows he’ll have to earn it by proving he can also make threes at an efficient rate and hold up on the defensive end.

“Just being able to knock down shots and play defense and not make too many mistakes, I think, is the biggest thing,” Jaquez said of what he wants to prove to Spoelstra this preseason. “I think building trust is the most important for getting on the floor. Having coach Spo have trust in me is something I’m going to have to build. It’s going to take time and I know that. It’s just going to be a process and we’re going to keep chipping away until that leash gets longer and then we’ll see what happens.”

The good news is the NBA game doesn’t seem too fast for Jaquez yet. In fact, Jaquez seems to have already found a way to play the NBA game at his own speed, with his footwork helping him create angles, space and a strong case for playing time.

“I think I’m ready right now,” Jaquez said when asked if he feels like he can make an immediate impact as part of the Heat’s rotation. “I’m very eager to get on the floor. I know it’s going to be a process, trying to learn along the way. But I think I’ve learned a lot and I think I’m in a good position right now.”