Paul George understands how hard Jaime Jaquez Jr. worked to get into the Heat system.
Pat Riley and Erik Spoelstra appear to continually discover diamonds in the rough in the NBA. They advanced to the NBA Finals twice with a roster comprised of undrafted players shaped by the Miami Heat’s ethos. This year isn’t looking any different. With Bam Adebayo playing more minutes and Jimmy Butler being less productive, someone else stepped up. He goes by the name Jaime Jaquez Jr., and Los Angeles Clippers star Paul George is taking note.
Typically, organizations are faced with the difficult decision of emphasizing a draft prospect’s talents or fit.
This was not the case when the Heat signed Jaime Jaquez Jr. Paul George explained how the rookie’s development benefits the Bam Adebayo-led team, according to Law Murray of The Athletic.
“He’s playing well beyond his years…” Miami’s culture aligns with his character as a hardworking athlete. “I told him when we played him in Los Angeles that this looks easy,” remarked the Clippers star.
Jaquez is having an incredible rookie season and appears to be the best value in the 2024 NBA Draft. He presently averages 13.1 points per game and shoots 49.7% from the field. In addition, the Heat rookie averages 2.7 assists and 3.8 rebounds per game. All of this is helping the Heat move up the Eastern Conference standings.
They are now ranked seventh and are expected to improve once the postseason begins, as they have in recent years.
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