Jaime Jaquez had a decorated collegiate career at UCLA, earning PAC-12 Player of the Year honors, being named a consensus All-American, a three time All-PAC 12 honoree, and a two time All-PAC 12 Defense selection. As a senior, Jaquez averaged 17.8 PPG, 8.2 RPG, 2.4 APG, 1.5 SPG, 0.6 BPG, and 1.8 TOPG on splits of 48/32/77. Below is his full scouting report:
Name: Jaime Jaquez
Height/Weight: 6’6/226
Wingspan/ standing reach: 6’9 ½/8’3 ½
Hand size: 9 ½
Position: PF
Pre-Draft team: UCLA
Tools: Feel for the game, skill within 15-20 feet
Pros:
- Outstanding feel for the game
- Good rebounder
- Good motor
- Can run offense out of P&R
- Passes well out of live dribbles with both hands
- Strong vision; doesn’t get tunnel vision at the rim off of rebounds or on the move
- Good passer against pressure; sees well out of double teams
- Strong footwork on off the dribble shots
- Has a patented half-spin turnaround jumper
Cons:
- Limited athlete
- Can be a liability defensively when put on an island
- A bit of a tweener
- Mostly a below-the-rim finisher
- Mediocre, underwhelming frame
- Poor off the dribble shooter from 3
Swing skills:
- Jump shooting
- Ball handling in traffic
Summary:
Jaime Jaquez is a unique forward with an outstanding feel for the game, good playmaking, and mismatch forward ability as a ball-handler.
Jaquez is unique as a 6’7 floor general, while not being a point guard and lacking typical NBA athleticism. He is able to run a P&R, find cutters and shooters with ease, and always has outstanding court awareness, even against pressure. However, the entire system at UCLA for the past couple of years has been built around him, which could make his game translating up more difficult. His flaws have been purposefully hidden, when in the NBA teams have a knack for exposing weaknesses on both ends of the floor. He also will see a dip in usage (24% as a junior, 28% as a senior), and from there he will have to scale down in his game by finding a particular area to stand out in.
Defensively, Jaquez may get exposed more in the NBA, being put on an island more than he was at UCLA against quicker guards. While he is intelligent and can be a positive team defender, when put on the point of attack, he becomes an on-ball defensive liability. With mediocre athleticism and length, defense will be a swing skill area for him in sticking in the NBA or becoming an overseas star.
Overall, Jaquez is an intriguing, unique forward with playmaking abilities, but will need to become a consistent shooter while being hidden more on defense to remain positive. As an intelligent player with good size, defensive concerns, and potential offensive versatility, Jaquez will be a polarizing evaluation among NBA teams and draft evaluators.
Similar to: Grant Williams with less defense, Anthony Gill
Projected draft range: 35-58
Expected role: Versatile offensive-minded forward with intelligence to latch onto a variety of roles asked upon him.
Unplayable if: Combination of underwhelming shooting & athleticism limit him on both ends of the floor.
Exceeds expectations if: Strong feel for the game outweighs his athletic limitations and jump shot develops enough to be near average as a shooter.
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