UCLA Basketball: Former All-Pac-12 Bruin Reveals "Biggest Challenge" Of NBA

Alex Kirschenbaum | Apr 7, 2024

Mar 16, 2023; Sacramento, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins guard/forward Jaime Jaquez (24). / Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

Former All-Pac-12 swingman Jaime Jaquez Jr. has emerged as a probable All-Rookie First Teamer during his debut as a key day-one NBA role player with the postseason-bound Miami Heat. This year, the 6-foot-6 small forward from UCLA is averaging 12 points on .487/.309/.804 shooting splits, 3.9 rebounds, 2.6 assists and one steal in 28.6 minutes a night.

He revealed in a recent conversation with Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald what the toughest element of playing at the next level has been.

“I think the biggest challenge is the longevity of the season,” Jaquez said. “It’s a lot of games and I think you never understand what that is until you get there. I think that’s kind of been the biggest thing for me, just enduring the games and the longevity of the season.”

Jaquez later unpacked why his numbers have taken a bit of a dip as the 2023-24 season has progressed. His 3-point shooting in particular has seen a noticeable decline. During his first 20 games this season, he connected on 39.3% of his 3.1 triple attempts a night. In his last 20, that efficacy (and frequency) has plummeted to 27.1% of his 2.4 long range tries. He also hurt his groin in January, and his scoring has declined since then overall, too.

“It could be many things,” Jaquez said. “I don’t want to put it on one particular thing. I think most of it is just me just trying to be mentally ready. I’m just going out there trying to play my game and do what I can to help the team win.”

“I take it as a sign of respect,” Jaquez said of having a harder time scoring. “Guys got to worry about me now. That’s what you want as a player. Now my next step is how do I adjust to the new coverages that I see and how I can make the right play. When the double-team is coming, how can I manipulate the defense? That’s kind of one of the biggest things that we talk about. Use my pull of the defense to get guys open and how to manipulate and get great shots.”