All-American UCLA Wing Jaime Jaquez Jr. Declares for NBA Draft
The Bruins, as expected, are losing their leading man.
UCLA men's basketball guard/forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. has declared for the 2023 NBA Draft, the senior announced Thursday on social media. Jaquez had one year of eligibility remaining, but he made it clear as the season wound down that he intended to turn pro.
Jaquez joins guard Jaylen Clark in declaring for the draft, although the latter confirmed that he retained his collegiate eligibility by signing with an NCAA-certified agent. Jaquez has not clarified whether or not he is retaining his eligibility during the draft process.
The Camarillo, California, native led UCLA with 17.8 points and 8.2 rebounds per game this season, and he ranked second on the team with 2.4 assists, 1.5 steals and 0.6 blocks per game. Jaquez put up career highs in every major count stat, in addition to shooting a career-best 77.0% from the free throw line.
Jaquez appeared in all 37 of the Bruins games this season and scored double figures in 34, leading the team to a 31-6 record, a Pac-12 regular season title and a third-straight Sweet 16 appearance.
The 6-foot-6 wing was towards the top of the conference leaderboards in several categories, ranking No. 2 in points per game, No. 5 in rebounds per game, No. 4 in steals per game, No. 4 in player efficiency rating, No. 1 in win shares, No. 2 in offensive win shares, No. 1 in defensive win shares and No. 2 in win shares per 40 minutes.
Jaquez was named Pac-12 Player of the Year, as well as making the All-Pac-12 First Team for the second season in a row. He also made the AP All-American Second Team, plus the Wooden All-American team.
That highly-decorated senior campaign was just the cherry on top of an all-around successful collegiate career.
Jaquez committed to UCLA when Steve Alford was still the coach, and he remained committed even after the school fired him and moved on to Mick Cronin. Jaquez – a four-star recruit coming out of high school – was towards the bottom of Cronin's rotation at the start of his freshman year in 2019-2020, but it didn't take long for him to break out of that role.
Midway through the Bruins' trip to the 2019 Maui Invitational, Jaquez entered the starting lineup, and he never left. Jaquez averaged 8.9 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game that year, helping UCLA to turn things around with a key 11-2 stretch late in the season.
Jaquez returned to averaged 12.3 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game as a sophomore, exploding onto the national scene when March Madness rolled around. Led by Jaquez and Johnny Juzang, the Bruins made their first Final Four in 13 years before losing to undefeated Gonzaga on a halfcourt overtime buzzer-beater.
UCLA returned every member of that NCAA tournament run the following season, including Jaquez. The junior averaged 13.9 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.1 steals per game that year, which ended with a loss in the Sweet 16.
While Jaquez was again unable to lead the Bruins past the Sweet 16 in 2023, he capped off his career with plenty of individual honors and the team's best conference record since 1978.
For his career, Jaquez shot 52.4% from inside the arc, 32.8% from deep and 73.7% from the charity stripe. Jaquez finishes his career in Westwood ranked No. 8 on the school's all-time scoring list, No. 8 on the all-time steals list and No. 11 on the all-time rebounds list after 134 appearances – which rank No. 9 in program history.
Jaquez was one of several veterans leading the charge this season, and his departure could be one of many that mark an end to this current era of UCLA basketball. Point guard Tyger Campbell has one year of eligibility left, but he could following Jaquez and Clark by forgoing it in favor of a professional career.
Guard Amari Bailey and center Adem Bona could also declare for the draft after successful freshman seasons. Guard David Singleton, on the other hand, is out of eligibility.
The Bruins will look very different next year, regardless of who else chooses to leave or return.
Jaquez has been thoroughly representative of UCLA basketball under Cronin, though, and the staff will have to replace more than just his production moving forward. Jaquez's consistency, leadership and dedication to the program's identity are among his signature traits, and it remains to be seen how strongly NBA teams value those intangibles.
Bleacher Report has Jaquez pegged as a late first round pick, while The Athletic and several others have him coming off the board in the early second.
The 2023 NBA Draft will get underway on June 22.
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