NBA Draft 2023: Top returning college prospects most likely to break out
Jamie Jaquez Jr. – UCLA – Wing – 6’6, 220 lbs – February 2001
A personal favorite of mine in last year’s cycle, Jaquez is a tough-nosed wing that can guard fours using his strong frame. He’s a great positional rebounder, using his tenacity and understanding of angles to fight for positioning. While he’s not overly long, nor the best athlete, he’s a smart team defender that is constantly in the right spot. It’s a bit cliche, but Jaquez just constantly makes winning plays. I’d love to see the statistics on loose balls in his vicinity because it feels like Jaquez almost always winds up with them.
Pac-12 after dark tweet*
— Brandon Simberg (@BrandonSimberg) February 6, 2022
There are no 50/50 balls when Jaime Jaquez Jr. is in the vicinity. That's just his basketball. pic.twitter.com/4CzGAGzAoE
In his sophomore season, Jaquez was a mismatch killer, using his speed with the ball and functional handle to blow past slower-footed bigs, while posting up guards. Jaquez seemed bothered by an ankle injury his junior season, looking less athletic. He had 13 dunks in 2021 and just 7 in 2022. I am a believer that with a full offseason of health, he can get some of his run-and-jump ability back.
The shooting took an odd dip in 2022. He shot just 76 threes, making only 21 (both career-lows). I do believe in him as a shooter, as he has good touch, and is a good mid-range and free throw shooter, but ideally, his outside shot regresses to the norm. If it does, then Jaquez fits the bill of an off-ball wing, who won’t need the ball in his hands to score.
27 for Jaime Jaquez last night, after a 30 point game earlier in the week. He's got some interesting handle ability, terrific at using his body to draw fouls and a great understanding of angles.
— Brandon Simberg (@BrandonSimberg) March 6, 2022
High-IQ player with size that impacts winning on both ends. pic.twitter.com/MVZdsF9giH
There are a handful of NBA examples (Dorian Finney-Smith, PJ Tucker) of high-usage college players that have scaled back into low-usage NBA roles. He’s not an elite playmaker but has good enough processing to be a connecting piece as well.
In the last two drafts, we have seen teams opt for smart players that can fill a low-usage role and impact winning in the first round. They’re different prospects, but Jaquez can do some of the things that a Jake Laravia can do on both ends. I’m banking on a season of health from Jaquez, and the shooting to return to above average, but he strikes me as someone who will have fans by the time June rolls around and is seen as a first-round guy.