Jaime Jaquez Jr. reveals one major reason why he wanted to visit South Beach.
Jaime Jaquez Jr. was fortunate to be picked by the Miami Heat, and he has been a standout for them this season, averaging 12.3 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 2.6 assists a game on 48.6 percent shooting. The 23-year-old UCLA product is one of the front-runners for the NBA Rookie of the Year award this season, which was not expected when he was selected with the 18th choice in last summer’s draft. According to The Athletic’s William Guillory’s latest essay, Jaime Jaquez Jr. wanted to join the Miami Heat because Jimmy Butler is his favourite NBA player.
“Choosing the next squad was the ultimate ideal situation for Jaquez Jr. and his family. “The Heat had everything they were looking for: a new city with a diverse culture, a team that prioritised winning above all else, and the presence of both of their idols,” Guillory wrote. “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 favourite NBA player,” the source said.
“I loved watching Jimmy because he’s a complete player on both ends and he leaves everything on the floor,” Jaquez said. “He’s a winner, and that’s the type of player I want to be.”
Jimmy Butler enjoys having Jaime Jaquez Jr. as his Miami Heat teammate. Fortunately for Jaime Jaquez Jr., Jimmy Butler has taken him under his wing in a “mentor-mentee relationship” described by William Guillory. Butler is the ideal mentor for Jaquez because of his journey to becoming a true NBA great. Butler, like Jaquez, was picked late in the first round (No. 30) in 2011 by the Chicago Bulls. He began his NBA career as a defensive specialist.
However, he extended his role with time and took advantage of his opportunities, increasing his scoring from 2.6 points per game in his rookie year to 23.9 points per game in his final year in Chicago. 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; perhaps Jaquez can follow in Butler’s footsteps. “He has so much room to improve,” Butler explains. “He’s quite confident. He wants to make the correct play every time. He’s not playing like a rookie. “He understands what it takes to win,” Butler said of Jaquez.