As a Mexican-American who grew up watching the NBA, there weren’t any great Mexican players in the league to look up to when I was a kid. Sure there were players from Spanish speaking countries who I loved like Ricky Rubio, Manu Ginobli and now Jose Alvarado, but not having a Mexican player in the league that was a real hooper was kind of tough.
I’m 22-years-old now and there’s finally a legit Mexican hooper that gives me hope for the future generations of Mexican basketball players: Jaime Jaquez Jr.
Jaquez is a California native hailing from Camarillo and played his college ball for UCLA. He saw a steady uprising trend in his stats and performances each year he took the court for the Bruins and in his senior year solidified himself as one of the top prospects in the 2023 NBA Draft Class.
In his senior season Jaquez averaged 18 points, eight rebounds, two assists and two steals per game, won the PAC 12 Player of the Year Award and put himself on the map. He’s a very smart player who makes good reads, does well to create space for himself and his teammates, is constantly moving when off-ball, can get you some tough buckets and overall his NBA readiness is pretty legit if you ask me.
At 6’6 220, Jaquez has the size to guard the one through four and his potential to become a top two-way player is through the roof. I think that’s one of the main reasons Pat Reilly, coach Erik Spoelstra and the Miami Heat decided to draft him 18th overall this year.
His game fits the Miami culture so well in my opinion and given his development in college and the way he plays the game, he seems like the perfect fit for the Heat. I have heard his name thrown around in potential trade packages for Damian Lillard but I don’t think he’s going anywhere.
Especially not after his Summer League debut.
In Jaquez’s first game suiting up for Miami he dropped 22 points on 8 of 15 shooting and caught two bodies against the Lakers.
Although his second NBA outing against the Sacramento Kings didn’t go as well given he dropped just four points on one for six shooting in 16 minutes, I would take that with a grain of salt. Keegan Murray absolutely torched the Heat dropping 41 on their heads and stole the show that night.
Summer League and college performances aside though, Jaquez has already been receiving high praise from some NBA stars. Draymond Green and Brandon Miller’s GOAT, Paul George, are the latest players to chime in on his potential.
On an episode of Podcast P with Paul George, George and Green were joined by Jaquez as they spit some game to him and answered some questions he had about life in the league.
In this clip, George speaks highly on Miami’s choice in picking Jaquez and I couldn’t agree more with him.
As I said earlier Jaquez fits the Heat culture so well and under the guidance of veteran players like Jimmy Butler, Udonis Haslem, Kevin Love and Kyle Lowry, he can become the best version of himself in no time. Throw Coach Spo in the mix as well and he literally has the blueprint to becoming a very nice player in this league.
With any rookie, apart from guys like LeKing, it will take some time for Jaquez to acclimate to the league and carve out his role on the Heat. Once he settles in though I think he can truly become an impact player for Miami as they look to build upon last season having made the NBA Finals as the 8th seed in the East.
I honestly think he gets thrown in the rotation almost immediately given the departures of Max Strus and Gabe Vincent this offseason. This could give him all the opportunity in the world to develop at a pretty fast rate.
Jaquez also has the chance to become an icon for Mexicans and Mexican-Americans who follow the league and I truly think he will do just that. He has the opportunity to open doors for Mexican hoopers in the future and I think he can make scouts take Mexican players a bit more seriously as well.
I’m not tapped in with any young Mexican basketball players at the minute but I just know with Jaquez getting drafted at 18 and going to a great organization like Miami, he’s already inspired a generation.
Hell, he’s inspired me to start training to make my G League debut in a few years. Make sure you’re tapped in with the Motor City Cruise in 2028.
Jaquez is going to be a player I keep a close eye on through the years and I hope others do too. This guy is a pure impact player and will do anything in his power to help his team win.
With a great foundation of physical and mental tools already in his arsenal, plus the support of the Latino community, Miami is surely going to maximize his potential.
Photo Credit: Jose A. Iglesias, jiglesias@elnuevoherald.com
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