Jaquez led the Bruins in points, rebounds and steals while battling multiple ankle injuries that would eventually require surgery.
The Bruins’ top offensive option was playing hobbled for most of his junior season, and he recently gave some insight into what exactly he was fighting on the injury front.
Guard/forward Jaime Jaquez Jr., who announced in April that he was returning to UCLA men’s basketball next season, sprained both ankles several times throughout the 2021-2022 campaign. Although he only missed one game, he and coach Mick Cronin spoke several times about the kind of pain he was facing on and off the court.
Jaquez has taken advantage of the early absences of Caleb Martin and Tyler Herro to earn a spot in the rotation. Heat coach Erik Spoelstra is comfortable enough with Jaquez to play him during crucial fourth-quarter stretches.
The reason is simple: Jaquez isn’t a typical rookie. He played four years at UCLA, so he’s already more seasoned than most first-year players.
“He’s a more veteran feel, experience rookie, if that makes sense,” Spoelstra said. “He’s played in a lot of college games. It’s just a matter him getting comfortable in our system, how we do things and then learning the league. It’s not as if he’s greenn… It won’t be all great, there’s going to be some ups and downs. That’s natural for a young player.
