The Los Angeles Lakers had the No. 17 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. Plenty of mock drafts had them taking Jaime Jaquez Jr. out of UCLA, as it made sense from several standpoints.
From a basketball perspective, he was an experienced forward with polished footwork and a versatile face-up game. He was also an elite rebounder for his position and someone who could get his teammates involved with his playmaking.
On top of that, he was perhaps the most Californian prospect in his class. Born in Irvine, raised in Camarillo, and having a four-year tenure with the UCLA Bruins, it was just a match made in heaven.
The Lakers wound up taking Jalen Hood-Schifino before the Miami Heat snatched him just one pick later. However, as crazy as it may seem, he actually didn’t want to play for the Purple & Gold.
Jaquez Jr. Wanted To Leave Southern California
“I wanted to get away,” Jaquez Jr. told The South Florida Sun-Sentinel. “I think, for myself, I thought it was important for me to be able to go out of my comfort zone and experience something new.”
Of course, this had nothing to do with hating the Lakers or whatnot. He just wanted to spread his wings and take his talents somewhere else, leaving SoCal for the first time in his career:
“I didn’t want to be a guy that said, ‘Oh, I just stayed in Southern California all my life,‘” he added. “I wanted to go live in a different, new place. And that’s why I was very excited to go to Miami. It was new. Everyone compares it, but I think it’s very, very different.”
Unfortunately for the Lakers, Jaquez Jr. has balled out from the very first day, averaging 13.7 points, 3.9 boards, 2.6 assists, and 1.1 steals per game on 50.4 percent from the field and 35.4 percent from beyond the arc.
