Jaime Jaquez Jr. wows in Miami Heat debut with two huge dunks in NBA Summer League
Jaime Jaquez Jr. is already heating up just a few weeks after officially turning pro.
The 22-year-old guard and No. 18 pick by the Miami Heat made a statement on the first day of the NBA Summer League during a California Classic game on Monday against the Los Angeles Lakers with a dunk that wowed the internet.
The former UCLA star caught a fast-break pass from Jamaree Bouyea, took two steps into the paint and leaped over two defenders and slammed the dunk home. Jaquez Jr. high-fived Chase Audige and chest-bumped Bouyea as the crowd at Sacramento’s Golden 1 Center cheered.
He had another shining moment later in the game when he played catch down the court with Drew Peterson, who then lobbed the ball up at the rim for Jaquez Jr. to slam the ally-oop.
His teammates ate it up.
In his senior season with the Bruins, Jaquez Jr. was the 2022-23 Pac-12 Player of the Year, averaging 17.8 points and a team-high 8.2 rebounds per game.
Jaquez Jr. will have a chance to fill in holes left by Gabe Vincent and Max Strus, who left for the Lakers and Cleveland Cavaliers, respectively, in free agency. Last month, Miami became only the second No. 8 seed in league history to reach the NBA Finals. Even though they lost to the Denver Nuggets, Jimmy Butler vowed they’d be back in the championship.
The Heat play another California Classic game on Wednesday against the Sacramento Kings. They will also play in the Summer League in Las Vegas starting Saturday.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jaime Jaquez Jr. dunks in Miami Heat NBA Summer League debut
