From Select Team to Heat’s summer team, Jaime Jaquez Jr. breaks down productive week in Las Vegas

As a player who was selected for the NBA’s All-Rookie First Team last season, Miami Heat wing Jaime Jaquez Jr. is probably too good for summer league. But that didn’t stop Jaquez from wanting to be part of summer league.

The fact that Jaquez was already in Las Vegas for his work on Team USA’s Select Team last week only made it more convenient for him to play for the Heat’s summer league team.

“I was always going to play [in summer league], whether I was on the Select Team or not,” Jaquez, 23, said. “I think that was always the plan. I was happy to get the opportunity to go out and play. I love playing basketball. It’s better than doing drills and conditioning for me.”

Jaquez made the most of his time in Las Vegas, impressing as a member of Team USA’s Select Team in practices against the national team’s Olympic roster and then dominating during his short but productive run in Las Vegas Summer League.

With the plan for Jaquez to only play in the Heat’s first two games in Las Vegas, he averaged 26 points, eight rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.5 steals while shooting an ultra-efficient 58.1 percent from the field and 3 of 7 (42.9 percent) from three-point range while leading Miami to a 2-0 start in Las Vegas Summer League. He also shot 13 of 16 (81.3 percent) from the foul line.

Among the four players who entered Tuesday averaging more than 25 points per game in Las Vegas Summer League, Jaquez is the only one to do it while shooting better than 50 percent from the field.

“Extremely productive,” Heat player development coach and summer league head coach Dan Bisaccio said of Jaquez’s two-game stint with the summer squad. “First things first, we appreciate his willingness and openness to compete and play in summer league.

“I get it — you win All-Rookie team, a lot of these guys may not want to do it and they may just want to do player development and just get ready for the season. But there’s no greater player development than five on five. For him to get even just two games, it speaks volumes to his character and his leadership.”

Jaquez was playing with a purpose, too, as the Heat continues to push him to grow certain parts of his game.

On the court, Jaquez’s player development work has been focused on improving as a three-point shooter, passer and one-on-one defender. Off the court, the Heat wanted Jaquez to use his leadership skills as the most experienced player on the summer league roster.

“I think I just wanted to get better, No. 1,” Jaquez said of what he wanted to accomplish in summer league. “I think, No. 2 is working on things in my game and things outside of basketball that still translates such as leadership and being very vocal – both on the defensive and offensive end and huddles. We got some young guys, we got two rookies in Pelle [Larsson] and Kel’el [Ware]. Trying to be voices for them and really the rest of the team. That’s what I came here to work on.”

The improved three-point shot was on display in Monday’s 102-73 blowout summer league win over the Oklahoma City Thunder. Jaquez shot 3 of 5 from behind the arc on his way to scoring 23 points in the victory.

“That’s something that Jaime works day in and day out on with [Heat assistant coach] Eric Glass, sometimes twice a day,” Bisaccio said when asked about Jaquez’s three-point stroke. “He’s obsessive with his craft, with his detail. So obviously that was one point of emphasis that he was really trying to improve on this summer. I’m really happy to see it progress like that.”

Jaquez, who shot just 32.2 percent on threes last season as a rookie, knows becoming a more efficient three-point shooter will open up other areas of his offensive game.

“Being able to make defenders really believe in my jump shot, have them closing out on me,” said Jaquez, who was selected by the Heat with the 18th overall pick in last year’s draft following a four-year college career at UCLA. “I hit a couple threes and then all of a sudden they’re flying out, it opens up my drive game a lot more. So I just continue to find my open shots and take them confidently.”

Jaquez hasn’t made significant changes to his shooting mechanics, but he noted “it’s just about getting a lower base, getting under the ball and just continuing to get reps.”

The Heat’s summer league team will look to remain undefeated in Las Vegas, playing its third of at least five games there on Wednesday against the Dallas Mavericks (3 p.m., ESPN2 and Bally Sports Sun). But this time, Jaquez won’t be on the court to help lead the Heat.

“I mean, I’m down for anything,” Jaquez said with a smile when asked if he wanted to change the two-game plan and continue dominating Las Vegas Summer League. “Unfortunately I got a flight to catch tonight at 10:30. But if they want me to play, I’ll keep playing. I love playing basketball. It’s my favorite thing to do.”

But Jaquez has already returned to Miami after taking a red-eye flight late Monday and landing in South Florida early Tuesday morning.

“Just continue to work on my game, honestly,” Jaquez said of his plan for the rest of the offseason. “Pick up my conditioning. That’s one of the things that I really want to work on this offseason is being in the best shape of my life so that I can go into those 82 games and not be tired or fatigued.”

But Jaquez’s time in Las Vegas won’t be forgotten. It’s a week of work that he believes will help him moving forward.

“There’s nothing better than getting game reps,” he said. “You can’t beat it. All the work that you do in the gym, it doesn’t matter if you can’t translate it to the game. So to be able to come out here and compete on Team USA, those are game reps. And here, these are game reps. I was happy and grateful to be able to do it.”