Jaime Jaquez Jr. continues to make an impact for the Heat and checks in at No. 3 in this week’s Rookie Ladder.
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Rookies get cut slack on winning — by design, the best ones go to the neediest teams — but that doesn’t absolve them entirely. And winning has many fathers, some of whom post gaudy numbers in familiar stats while others tip a game’s balance in less obvious ways.
That’s where Jaime Jaquez Jr. is making his most consistent impact for the Miami Heat and climbing to No. 3 on this week’s Ladder.
The Heat are 18-12 despite losing key pieces Gabe Vincent and Max Strus, and with Jimmy Buter, Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro and Caleb Martin missing chunks of the schedule to injuries. Stepping into that void: Jaquez, the No. 18 pick, aka, four spots out of the lottery.
But the four-year UCLA product learned how to help his college team in ways big and small, training that he brought to his first job.
“It probably should be part of the NBA initiation,” Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said. “They should talk about it, ‘Here’s what winning basketball is. Here’s what AAU basketball is, that doesn’t necessarily win,’ and show examples of what that actually looks like, because there’s a disconnect between what’s out there and what actually wins.”
Jaquez has done both lately. He has been a jack-of-all-trades contributing little stuff, and he has had big nights like his 31-point, 10-rebound Christmas performance against the Sixers.
Weekly Recap
• We’ve said it before: Expect Holmgren and Wembanyama to flip back and forth at No. 1 and 2 multiple times this season, their cases both are so strong toward Kia Rookie of the Year consideration. It wouldn’t be surprising if someone else — Jaquez, Brandon Miller, others — crashed that party as well.
• The two big guys are on pace to rank among the most effective first-year shot swatters ever. A piece at Forbes.com pulled numbers that indicate, at their current paces, Wembanyama and Holmgren, could rank sixth and eighth respectively in total blocks by a rookie, dating back to 1973 when that stat became official. Wembanyama is on pace for 223 and Holmgren 219, though neither likely will challenge all-time leader Manute Bol, who blocked 397 upon arrival in 1985-86.
• Scoot Henderson, the No. 3 pick last June, has played 20 games, grabbing a Ladder rung with increased production for Portland. He and the Blazers have a ways to go but are fueling themselves with early-season dissing.
• Opportunity is everything for a first-year player. Consider the Orlando Magic’s Anthony Black, who got up a season-high 13 shots (five more than in any previous game) and scored 23 points (10 more than his previous high) at Washington Tuesday.
Storyline to watch
Must-see matchups. No, we’re not talking Wembanyama vs. Holmgren II quite yet. The Spurs and the Thunder have three more on the schedule, but not until Jan 24, Feb. 29 and April 10.
What we will get this week are other intriguing pairings: San Antonio plays back-to-back in Portland to pit Wembanyama vs. Henderson. The Celtics and Kristaps Porzingis travel to see the top two rookies in 48 hours with Wembanyama Sunday and Holmgren Tuesday. Meanwhile, the Thompson Twins — Amen and Ausar, the Nos. 4 & 5 picks in the Draft — face each other as pros for the first time in Houston on New Year’s Day.
Latest rankings
(All stats through Tuesday, Dec. 26)
1. Chet Holmgren, Oklahoma City Thunder
Season stats: 17.3 ppg, 7.9 rpg, 2.7 bpg
Last Ladder: No. 2
Draft pick: No. 2 (2022)
The Thunder center led all rookies in scoring last week (20.7 ppg) while shooting 59.5% (6-of-15 on 3-pointers). Then the Minneapolis kid bounced back from an off night against the Timberwolves last month (6-of-20 in defeat) to score 20 in OKC’s payback game back home Tuesday. That one included a lot of chatter about posters, here and here, along with this nice Holmgren maneuver.
2. Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs
Season stats: 18.3 ppg, 10.6 rpg, 3.0 apg
Last Ladder: No. 1
Draft pick: No. 1
Never a dull moment for the Spurs’ phenom. First, he misses Saturday’s game at Dallas after stepping on a ball boy’s foot. Then, he came back on Tuesday to shoot 6-of-15 but finished with 17 points, seven rebounds, four assists and five blocks. Meanwhile, some rumbling that San Antonio teammates are serving his game generously enough.
3. Jaime Jaquez Jr., Miami Heat
Season stats: 13.7 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 2.5 apg
Last Ladder: No. 3
Draft pick: No. 18
After his yuletide performance, Jaquez credited teammates such as Kyle Lowry and Kevin Love for finding him, enabling him to pounce without plays drawn up for him. Said Heat wing Tyler Herro of the rookie: “What really stands out as a rookie is he’s able to come in here and do all the intangibles.”
4. Brandon Miller, Charlotte Hornets
Season stats: 14.6 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 2.2 apg
Last Ladder: No. 4
Draft pick: No. 2 overall
Denver’s Peyton Watson played the Grinch spoiling Miller’s Christmas by stepping on the Hornets forward’s right ankle Saturday. Yet another Charlotte injury kept him out at the Clippers Tuesday.
5. Dereck Lively II, Dallas Mavericks
Season stats: 9.4 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 1.5 bpg
Last Ladder: No. 6
Draft pick: No. 12
Back from an ankle sprain that cost him four games, Lively had 20 and 10 against the Phoenix Suns, missed only one of nine shots and the Mavs won. They are 17-7 when he plays, 1-5 when he sits. “He has been playing like he has been in the league for 10 years already,” teammate Luka Doncic said.
The Next 5
6. Ausar Thompson, Detroit Pistons
Season stats: 9.5 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 2.3 apg
Last Ladder: No. 5
Draft pick: No. 5
Pistons coach: “He plays hard every second he is on the floor.”
7. Brandin Podziemski, Golden State Warriors
Season stats: 8.9 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 3.0 apg
Last Ladder: No. 9
Draft pick: No. 19
Putting up crooked numbers. “I couldn’t tell you how I do it,” he says.
8. Keyonte George, Utah Jazz
Season stats: 10.9 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 5.0 apg
Last Ladder: No. 7
Draft pick: No. 16
Returned from a six-game layoff (left foot) with 10 points, four assists vs. the Spurs.
9. Bilal Coulibaly, Washington Wizards
Season stats: 8.9 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 1.8 apg
Last Ladder: No. 8
Draft pick: No. 7
Just 6.3 FGA per game — 11th among rookies — but shooting 52% (41.8%).
10. Scoot Henderson, Portland Trail Blazers
Season stats: 11.1 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 4.5 apg
Last Ladder: Not ranked
Draft pick: No. 3
Had 17 points, 11 assists and just one turnover in win vs. Kings on Tuesday.
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Steve Aschburner has written about the NBA since 1980. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on Twitter.
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