Heat’s Jaime Jaquez Jr. returns home to SoCal as a top NBA rookie: ‘I’m very excited to get back’ – Miami Herald

Jaime Jaquez Jr. grew up in Camarillo, Calif., which is about 50 miles away from Los Angeles. Then Jaquez played college basketball at UCLA in Los Angeles. And there was a chance that he could continue his lifelong run in Southern California even after making the jump to the NBA, as Jaquez was still on the board when it was the Los Angeles Lakers’ turn to pick at No. 17 in this past summer’s draft.

“I wanted to get away,” Jaquez said. “I think for myself I thought it was important for me to be able to go out of my comfort zone and experience something new. I didn’t want to be a guy that said, ‘Oh, I just stayed in Southern California all my life.’”

Jaquez got what he wanted.

The Lakers selected Jalen Hood-Schifino out of Indiana at No. 17 and the Miami Heat then took Jaquez at No. 18 in the June 22 draft. It worked out for Jaquez and the Heat, as Jaquez has already established himself as one of the NBA’s top rookies and an important part of Miami’s rotation in the first two months of the season.

Among NBA rookies this season, Jaquez ranks fourth in points per game (13.7), ninth in rebounds per game (3.9), seventh in assists per game (2.6), second in steals per game (1) and fourth in minutes per game (29.4).

“I wanted to go live in a different, new place,” Jaquez, 22, continued. “And that’s why I was very excited to go to Miami. It was new. Everyone compares it [to Los Angeles], but I think it’s very, very different.”

But Jaquez is looking forward to returning to Southern California for the Heat’s two-game set in Los Angeles as part of the team’s five-game West Coast trip. The Heat takes on the Clippers on Monday and Lakers on Wednesday at Crypto.com Arena.

It marks Jaquez’s first time back home in months, his longest stretch away from Southern California in his life. The Heat’s two regular-season games in Los Angeles are crammed into one trip this season and Jaquez plans to take advantage of the team’s five-day stay in his hometown to reunite with friends and family.

“It’s a long stretch and period of time where I get to see people I haven’t seen in a very long time,” said Jaquez, who was named the Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for games played in October and November. “Because since the summer, I don’t even know how long since I’ve been back. But it’s been a while, and I’m very excited to get back.”

The trip home will also give Jaquez an opportunity to visit his alma mater, with the Heat holding shootaround Monday morning on UCLA’s campus. His younger sister, Gabriela Jaquez, is a sophomore forward on UCLA’s women’s basketball team and he’s still close to many involved with UCLA’s men’s basketball program.

“I mean that’s what FaceTime is for,” Jaquez said of keeping in touch with his sister after playing at UCLA together last season. “I talk to her. I was just on the phone with her, talking about games and what we’re going to do. … So very excited to see her. I think that they have a game. I’m going to try to make it out to one of them. And if not, the boys for sure, just go out and support my alma mater.”

But UCLA’s women’s team doesn’t play again at home until Friday when the Heat will already be in Phoenix for a matchup against the Suns. And Jaquez won’t be able to catch a men’s game either, as UCLA’s men’s basketball team plays at home on Wednesday at the same time the Heat will be facing the Lakers.

One thing Jaquez will be able to cross off his bucket list, though, is to play a game inside Crypto.com Arena. Despite growing up in Southern California and idolizing Lakers legend Kobe Bryant, Jaquez has never played at the arena located at the center of downtown Los Angeles.

“I’m looking forward to it. I still call it Staples,” Jaquez said with a grin. “So I’m very excited to get back out there and play in front of the home crowd. It’s going to be a lot of fun.”

Jaquez refers to himself as a “SoCal kid,” but his time away from home in Miami has been transformative on and off the court. He’s already opened eyes with his play on the court since joining the Heat and he has also grown up off the court during his first extended stretch away from home.

“You kind of learn a lot about yourself,” Jaquez said. “Being alone is one thing. Obviously, making new friends, getting close with the guys out here has been great. And you get to look yourself in the mirror and see what you really see what you want in life. I’m having a lot of fun being in Miami, being away from home, being a real adult I think is the cool part. It’s not like my parents are 45 minutes away like they used to be. So it’s just all about figuring it out, seeing what you can do on your own.”

GORAN’S RETIREMENT

With former Heat point guard Goran Dragic formally announcing his retirement on Sunday after 15 NBA seasons, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra reflected at Monday’s morning shootaround session on Dragic’s decision and time with the organization.

“It’s a beautiful thing,” Spoelstra said to Heat broadcaster Jason Jackson. “It’s also probably, you know, one of those moments for him that he had to really spend some deep thought in. But it’s an opportunity to really reflect on a brilliant career. And his time with us was just amazing. He’s left an impression on every single one of us in the organization and everybody in Miami. And we’re looking forward to celebrating his next chapter.”

This story was originally published January 1, 2024, 10:00 AM.