3 Ways Jamie Jaquez Jr. can become a top-10 forward in the NBA

Become a two-way player

To be one of the top forwards in today's NBA, you have to be able to lock things down on defense.

Guys like Jimmy Butler, Paul George and Kawhi Leonard do it on both ends of the court. As a rookie, Jaquez is still learning to play NBA-level defense, but he has the tools and basketball IQ to be a good defender.

At 6-foot-6, 225 pounds, Jaquez has good size, which allows him to guard multiple positions. Although Jaquez is average when it comes to foot speed, he makes up for it with his strength and positioning.

The best thing he does defensively is reading passing lanes that lead to steals. He's averaging 1.1 steals per game, but there's no reason why he can't take after Butler and average closer to two.

Jaquez on both sides of the court makes winning plays so he has the intangibles to get better defensively, and he has a lot of tools that should excite Heat fans going forward.

You can't teach footspeed or athleticism, but you also can't teach Jaquez's innate feel for the game. Jaquez has the potential to be a top-10 forward in the league if he can get to the line more and become a better outside shooter and defender.