Pace-Setting: Miami Heat Rookie Set Franchise History In Triumph Over 76ers

The Miami Heat were without Jimmy Butler on Monday night but that didn’t stop them from ruining Christmas for the Philadelphia 76ers and claiming a 119-113 win at home.

A surprising hero rose up to lead the Heat to victory: rookie player Jamie Jaquez Jr.

He posted 31 points and 10 rebounds during the game.

As noted by Bally Sports Sun: HEAT, Jaquez is only the second rookie in Heat history with a 30-point, 10-rebound double-double, following in the footsteps of Grant Long from the 1988-89 season.

It was indeed a very remarkable showing from Jaquez, who was selected as the 18th overall pick in the latest draft.

So far this season, the 22-year-old forward is posting 13.7 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game.

He is one of the many NBA rookies who is making a lot of noise in the league, along with Brandon Miller, Dereck Lively II, Brandin Podziemski, Chet Holmgren, and, of course, Victor Wembanyama.

The Heat have been slow to make many changes over the last few years.

In fact, the biggest alterations they’ve experienced have been losing players, not gaining them.

Because of that, Jaquez is a breath of fresh air and could be a major part of the franchise’s future.

For an aging team, a rookie like him is exactly what they need.

Jaquez was on the court for 39 minutes during Monday’s game and it remains to be seen if he gets as much time when Butler is healthy and back in the rotation.

He proved himself in a major way during the game against Philadelphia and that could lead to earning a spot in the starting lineup soon.

Further Reading:

Jaime Jaquez Jr.’s amusing free throw New Year’s resolve following victory over the Sixers

Jaime Jaquez Jr. revealed his awesome New Year’s resolution after the Heat’s Christmas day win over the Sixers.

The Miami Heat managed to pick up a 119-113 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Christmas day, and in a game where both Jimmy Butler and Joel Embiid were missing, it was clear that someone was going to have to step up to lead their team to victory. To the surprise of fans everywhere, the guy who ended up doing just that was rookie star Jaime Jaquez Jr.

Jaquez has immediately become a key piece of the Heat’s rotation as a rookie, but he had easily the best game of his young career on Christmas against the Sixers (31 PTS, 10 REB, 1 AST, 11-15 FGM). Jaquez also hit all eight of his free throw attempts, which led him to make an awesome New Year’s resolution after the win.

This is a great New Year’s resolution from Jaime Jaquez Jr. that will surely delight Heat fans, but it’s not as if his free throw shooting has been a major issue to this point. Jaquez is now shooting 85.7 percent from the charity stripe on the year, which is not too shabby considering it’s his first year in the league. However, there’s always room for improvement, and now he will set out to do just that.

Jaquez has been a huge help for the Heat this season, and he will look to continue to make a big impact as the year goes on, especially if Butler continues to have to miss time with injuries. Jaquez has done a lot of stuff right, but he will be looking to bump his free throw shooting percentage up a bit when 2024 arrives.