Especially with how unfavorably Jaime Jaquez Jr. was perceived by most Miami Heat fans this summer, what he's managed to do through the first 10 games of the regular season is absolutely absurd. Jaquez Jr. is playing at a level that no one could've predicted, and he could very much be a star in the making.
It's not even just the fact that Jaquez Jr. has arguably been the team's second-best player next to Bam Adebayo, or just the fact that he's averaging 17 points, seven rebounds, and five assists per game on 57 percent shooting from the field. There's so much more to his game that doesn't even appear on the stat sheet.
It's those intangibles that don't show up in the stat sheet that should have Heat fans excited about the possibilities of Jaquez Jr. It's the versatility on both ends of the floor, the unexpected athleticism, and the confidence that he's playing with this season that should be catching the eyes of Heat fans.
Jaquez Jr. didn't just rebound from a sophomore slump. Jaquez Jr. might legitimately be making the star leap for the Heat. And there's no one within the fan base who could've, in good faith, predicted this rise from the third-year wing.
What is the ceiling for Jaime Jaquez Jr.?
Of course, this doesn't mean that there still aren't some real concerns about Jaquez Jr.'s game. Because there are. For example, he's still just shooting 22 percent from 3-point range this season. He can also be considered a liability against bigger wings in the paint on the defensive end of the floor.
He's not a perfect player, but he's certainly shown enough that he should have Heat fans excited about his future.
What exactly his ceiling is is a great discussion to have. In theory, Jaquez Jr. doesn't translate as the traditional star player in the league. But he does have some of that Jimmy Butler game in him. When you watch Jaquez Jr., it's hard not to see some of those similarities.
Of course, that doesn't mean Jaquez Jr. is Jimmy, or will be Jimmy, but if he can be a poor man's version of him, the Heat would be ecstatic.
Then again, it's also only been 10 games for Jaquez Jr. He'll need to prove it over the course of the season before Heat fans should get to that point of comparison. Nevertheless, despite that, it's quite clear that Jaquez Jr. is having a start to the season that not many, if anyone, could've envisioned.
Especially with the struggles that he dealt with last year, there's a strong argument to be made that Jaquez Jr. has been the biggest surprise for the Heat this season.