Heat’s Jaime Jaquez Jr. redefining Miami ‘moxie’ with subtle but substantive success

MIAMI — The comparison offered by coach Erik Spoelstra in the wake of Monday night’s Christmas victory over the Philadelphia 76ers was to Jimmy Butler, of how rookie guard Jaime Jaquez Jr. doesn’t need play calls or even to dominate the ball in order to thrive.

“It’s very similar when you say something like that about Jimmy,” Spoelstra related. “You wouldn’t do this with Jimmy, but Jimmy literally could just play the entire game without the ball and figure out how to get 20 points, without play calls, if you challenged him to do that.”

Informed of that comparison after his 31-point, 10-rebound performance, Jaquez smiled. But the No. 18 pick in last June’s NBA draft countered with a more abstruse reference, in another example of his appreciation for the game.

“I think going back to college, I did have the ball in my hands a lot, but I also played with a great point guard in Tyger Campbell,” Jaquez said of his former UCLA teammate, “who was able to find me a lot of times, cutting and moving off the ball.”

As in Tyger Campbell who now plays in France’s top league, in Saint-Quentin, Aisne, after going undrafted.

“So when you play with a guy like that,” Jaquez said, “it really allows you to become really great off the ball. You just try to find spots where your point guard can find you.”

With that reference, it cuts to the essence of what the Heat have in Jaquez, humble and with humility, appreciative of a former college teammate who went undrafted, and to current teammates such as Kyle Lowry and Kevin Love, who he is so willing to credit for his unanticipated rookie breakout.

“Now, playing with Kyle, he always finds me,” Jaquez said. “K-Love, great outlets. So playing with a great group of guys that can find you makes it a lot easier on me.”

Which, in turn, makes it easier for the Heat to also get shots for Butler, Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro.

“He has a moxie to him,” Spoelstra said, “an experience level that you can feel, that kind of transcends his age. But he makes winning plays.

“This was a game I thought he had around 21 points. I didn’t think he had that kind of game, because he does a lot of stuff without the ball in his hands. I don’t think I called one play for him, literally.”

That has allowed the Heat to thrive, including during this stretch when Butler has been sidelined by a calf strain.

“He does all the little things — rebounding, defending, cutting, making extra pass,” Herro said. “And then, obviously, the scoring is another add on to his game. But I think what really stands out as a rookie is he’s able to come in here and do all the intangibles and do all the little things.

“Just the way he finds holes in the defense to either make a play for someone else or make a play for himself, he’s really incredible.”

With Jaquez in the mix, the Heat have found a balance that has made it six wins in their last eight, at six games above .500 for the first time this season.

“Man, I mean he’s doing everything without forcing it,” Adebayo said. “He’s playing within himself. He’s not making any bad plays. He’s playing basketball, having fun. He’s really reading the game right now.”

Basically, playing as if he is 22 going on 30.

“I just try to find where I can fit in,” Jaquez said. “And a lot of times that’s cutting, spacing. That’s stuff we talk about all the time in our practices, is being the best spacing team in the league. So just being able to do that, it’s a lot of fun playing with guys like that. So excited to see where we go.”

To Spoelstra, Jaquez stands as a case study, a counter to the AAU culture of scoring as the sole standard of success.

“It probably should be part of the NBA initiation,” 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 actually show examples of what that actually looks like, because there’s a disconnect between what’s out there and what actually wins.

“And it’s tough for young players, because all you’re judged for is that final column on the box score, whether you can put points in the basket, and there’s so much more to this game that young players aren’t learning.”