The rookie is already a key part of the team.
With the 18th overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, the Miami Heat selected Jaime Hakez Jr. Hakez was a late-blooming rookie who entered the NBA after graduating from UCLA after four years at the University of California.
Despite his rookie status, Hakez, born in 2001, is only one year older than his teammate, five-year NBA veteran Tyler Hiro. Hakez is too experienced to be considered a rookie.
In the NBA draft, players are usually selected based on their potential, not their current skills. Hakez is the exact opposite type of player.
But that’s exactly why Miami chose him. Miami immediately recognized Hakez as a power forward. His experience at the collegiate level was highly valued.
The pre-draft workout was also a big factor. NBA teams are allowed to invite players in the draft to personally try out for the team. Miami was very impressed with Hakez’s workout. During the tryout, Hakez showed off his dominant one-on-one skills against his draft peers.
His offense and BQ were the areas that stood out.
On offense, he was considered to be a good post-up and one-on-one player without the three-point shooting ability that modern basketball demands. He also has a very good BQ and is a good team player.
Hakez was more of an old-school player who could catch the ball outside the 3-point line and dribble off the dribble to create outside shots and spacing, rather than a modern NBA forward, who was more of an old-school ’90s-style player who could drive to the basket and attack one-on-one.
The players Hakez has been compared to are Dermar Drojan and Jimmy Butler. Both players are strong mid-range shooters, but they are weak from three-point range. Instead, their strengths lie in post-ups and one-on-one offense with some of the best skills in the NBA.
This is something that could translate to the college level. The college game is relatively less physical and defensive than the NBA, so Hakez’s skillset could translate well. This was the reason why Hakez was taken as low as No. 18.
Even Miami’s 18th pick was considered by many to be higher than he should have been. Hakez was projected to be drafted in the late 20s. Coming from Miami, one of the NBA’s premier player development factories, the pick was expected by many, but there was more concern than excitement.
However, Hakez has put those concerns to rest in his rookie season.
Hakez carried his college success to the NBA. In the NBA, his skills still worked.
Hakez created his own offense through post-ups, which is where Miami’s outside shooting opportunities came from. In addition to being an excellent scorer, Hakez had a great passing sense.
Miami head coach Erik Spoelstra trusted the rookie to aggressively attack one-on-one. It’s 토토사이트 rare for Spoelstra to give a rookie such an important role so quickly. It’s a testament to Spoelstra’s trust in his players.
Miami has a crisis. Ace Jimmy Butler would be out for an extended period of time with an injury. However, Miami wasn”t worried at all. They had Hakez.
Hakez stepped into Butler”s spot as the starting small forward and performed brilliantly. Butler’s absence was not felt at all. In fact, it’s almost as if the offense is running better without him.
The icing on the cake was the Christmas game against the Philadelphia 76ers on December 25th local time. The game was a nationally televised Christmas special in the U.S., and Hakez was the star of the show.
In that game, Hakez had one of the best performances of his NBA career, scoring 31 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Hakez dominated the Philadelphia forwards with his overwhelming offense. Without Hakez’s performance, Miami would never have won the game.
Hakez has been a consistent performer all season. He averaged 13 points, four rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game. For his performances, he was named the Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for October, November, and December.
A late bloomer born in 2001, Hakez is quickly making a name for himself in the NBA. His age and physical mediocrity for a rookie meant that many teams passed on him in the draft. But that’s exactly what landed him on the right NBA team.
We”ll keep an eye on this seasoned rookie as he continues to improve.
