Key statistics show that Jaime Jaquez Jr. could be on his way to becoming a Heat star

When the Miami Heat selected Jaime Jaquez Jr. 18th overall in the 2024 draft, there was a general feeling that the team had played it safe. Jaquez played four years in college, and a player with that much experience is usually viewed as a finished product rather than a future star. Scouting reports like This one of NBA.com, projected him as a role player.

Looking back on his rookie season, in which Jaquez averaged nearly 12 points, four rebounds and three assists on 49-32-81 shooting and earned All-Rookie First Team honors, it’s pretty safe to say he outperformed his draft position. (He also earned one of the most epic nicknames in recent history: Juan Wick.)

Despite this, one still doesn’t get the feeling that Jaquez is seen as an up-and-coming star by the masses. Jaquez didn’t make it The wrestling list of the 25 best players under 25 yearsbut he belongs in this conversation.

I would argue that an NBA player doesn’t become a star until he’s a great shot creator. With the exception of a few outstanding defensive players (see Bam Adebayo), it’s the ability to consistently create offense that separates a supporting cast from the very best. For that reason, I’m going to focus on Jaquez’s ability to create shots and why his potential to be great at it gives him a chance to be a star in the future.

Basketball Index defines a shot creator As a high isolation player, creating your own shots on offense is a key skill. I would add that to be an elite shot-maker, a player must be able to create shots for his teammates, not just himself.

With Jaquez, I looked at what he showed in his first year as a scorer and playmaker to see if he could be a star-level scorer one day.

Jaquez’s shot distribution is a positive indicator of an efficient goal scorer, and most importantly, he showed the ability to create those shots himself. According to Cleaning the glass40 percent of his shots were on the basket, and he made 65 percent of those attempts. Jaquez averaged more than three unassisted shots per 75 possessions, which is in the 80th percentile of all players per Basketball Index.

His second most used zone was the short midrange, which consists of shots from 4 to 15 feet away from the basket. About a third of Jaquez’s shots came from this area, which you might think isn’t ideal for his efficiency, but he made those shots at a rate of 47 percent (79th percentile).

He rarely makes long, mid-range shots (just 3 percent of his total attempts), so the fact that many of his attempts come from mid-range isn’t a cause for concern. More than half of Jaquez’s mid-range field goals were unassisted, further demonstrating his ability to create opportunities for himself.

Another encouraging sign was the ability to draw fouls. Jaquez was in the 86th percentile in foul rate, going to the line on 11.3% of his shot attempts. Cleaning the glass.

When you put all of these numbers together, Jaquez has a clear path to becoming a great NBA scorer. The fact that he is already capable of scoring points for himself looks great at the basket (and convert at a rate that is above the league average) is impressive for a beginner.

Of course, to be a star in these things, he’ll have to increase his efficiency to elite levels while doing a lot more, but the signs are there.

Looking at all the games last season in which Jaquez made at least 15 shots – although this is only a small sample size at nine games – he averaged 20 points and nearly five assists and six rebounds in those games while making 52 percent of his shots from the field.

The second part of the shot creation equation is being a good passer to create plays for teammates. All of the traits described above allow Jaquez to break through defenses and give his team an advantage.

Once an advantage is established, willingness and basketball IQ is critical to know when to shoot or pass to an open teammate.

That willingness to do the right thing is perhaps Jaquez’s most underrated strength. Couper Moorhead of MiamiHeat.com has a great article about Jaquez This underlines his ability to read the game. Coach Erik Spoelstra praised the newcomer highly and said: “He has that quality, whatever that is. He will make the right plays. He is not like many young players who are either too fast or only out to score.”

When Jaquez sees a free teammate, he doesn’t hesitate to pass the ball to him. He passed to a teammate on 42 percent of his drives, putting him in the 65th percentile per Basketball Index.

And it’s not just about the willingness to make the right plays. Jaquez has a knack for reading the defense and finding open players.

Spoelstra also praised him for this, saying: “A lot of young players are formulaic. They either think, ‘I’m just going to go to my spot and shoot,’ or they try to implement the game plan without understanding what’s happening. He has a demeanor that allows him to be aggressive while understanding the defense.”

For any player who plays a lot, the importance of being able to quickly read a defense cannot be underestimated, and the fact that Jaquez has already shown this at several points bodes well for his future.

At this point, the biggest question about Jaquez’s game is his three-point shot. The pull-up three, one of the deadliest shots in basketball, was not a part of his game at all during his rookie year.