UCLA Basketball: Unpacking Jaime Jaquez Jr.'s Rookie Of The Year Betting Odds

Can the highest-drafted Bruin this year do the improbable?

Wendell Cruz - USA TODAY Sports

Former Bruins swingman Jaimie Jaquez Jr., the 2023 Pac-12 Player of the Year, was the highest ex-UCLA draft pick this June, having been selected 18th by the Miami Heat. 

Shooting guard Amari Bailey was chosen with the 41st pick by the Charlotte Hornets, and his fellow wing Jaylen Clark was selected at No. 53 by the Minnesota Timberwolves. Both players inked two-way contracts with their new NBA clubs, and unless those deals get converted and they really outplay their draft stock this year on standard contracts, it seems like they're already out of the Rookie of the Year running.

But Jaquez has a shot, albeit a distant one. His betting odds to win the honor range between +8000 and +12000, per The Lines.

San Antonio Spurs rookie big man Victor Wembanyama, Portland Trail Blazers point guard Scoot Henderson, and Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren are the top three favorites to earn the honor this season. Weirdly, Charlotte Hornets 2023 No. 2 draft pick Brandon Miller has the fourth-best odds, impacted perhaps by his uneven shooting performance in Summer League.

It could be tough sledding for Jaquez to earn enough minutes and thus score enough points on a Miami Heat team that, provided it manages to poach away Damian Lillard from Henderson's Trail Blazers at some point, is hoping to contend for a title. But Jaquez could very much be a part of any Lillard deal, and as such could get plenty of touches on an instantly-tanking Portland team.