Jaime Jaquez Jr., a former small forward for the UCLA Bruins, has established himself as one of the best rookies in this year’s extremely talented class and is assuming a significant rotation role for the Miami Heat, a team that is a real playoff candidate.
Sean Deveney of Heavy.com is informed by an NBA Western Conference front office executive that the former Camarillo High School student nearly stayed much closer to home. “I am aware that a subset of that organization wished for Jaime Jaquez to remain in California and play for the Los Angeles Lakers,” the executive stated. “He is a tough kid and a grinder; he was the ideal role model for what they needed.”
Last season, it was evident from watching him that he was prepared to contribute to a strong NBA club. The Laker was seeing Jalen [Hood-Schifino] in that light. They prefer to utilize their picks to take bold risks rather than the safe choice.
However, what they really needed were players. And observe Jaquez’s actions. They definitely blew it. Hood-Schifino hasn’t played much for the Lakers in 2017–18 due to a combination of good wing depth and unfortunate injury luck. Tonight, when Los Angeles takes against Jaquez’s Heat, the Lakers will undoubtedly get a close-up look at what almost was.
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