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Lakers News: LA Front Office Considered Drafting Star Heat Rookie

This looks like a big mistake...

Jason Fray

Lakers News: LA Front Office Considered Drafting Star Heat Rookie
Lakers News: LA Front Office Considered Drafting Star Heat Rookie /
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The exercise of retroactively looking at past draft picks can be a fun thing for some NBA fans... and depressing to others. 

This past year is a perfect example. Although it's still relatively early in the 2023-24 NBA season, the Miami Heat appears to have struck gold by nabbing former UCLA star Jaime Jaquez Jr. with the No. 18 pick in the 2023 NBA draft. 

On the flip side, those supporting the purple and gold are morose over the fact that a local product with tons of fanfare and popularity was passed over presumably for a younger guy (Jalen Hood-Schifino) with more upside. 

Jaquez has been one of the best rookies thus far from this class. He's easily among the top three, along with Chet Holmgren and Victor Wembanyama. There's even a case to be made that Jaquez could be a dark horse candidate to win the Rookie of the Year Award. 

He's been nothing short of sensational for the Heat. Through 33 games, he's averaging 13.7 PPG on 50.4 percent from the field, 35.4 percent from three-point range, and .85.2 percent from the free throw line. He's also averaging more than a steal per game. 

Comparatively speaking, Hood-Schifino has been bothered by a litany of injuries. In seven games with the Lakers, he's averaging 2.6 PPG and 0.7 APG. Simply put, he's been a non-factor for this team. 

Sean Deveney of Heavy Sports spoke with an anonymous Western Conference executive about the Lakers' decision to take Hood-Schifino one pick before Jaquez Jr. This is what the executive reportedly said: 

“I know there were some people in that organization who wanted Jaime Jaquez to stay in California and be a Laker. He was the perfect role player for what they needed, he is a tough kid, he is a grinder," Deveney writes. "You could watch him last year and just tell he was ready to chip in for a good NBA team. The Laker like to use their picks to take big swings and not the safe bet, and that is how they were looking at Jalen. But they needed guys who could play now. And look at what Jaquez is doing. They blew it, for sure.”

JJJ fits the 'Heat Culture' perfectly. A four-year player at UCLA, he learned to compete at an exceptionally high level under Mick Cronin. He developed a gritty, tough, physical game. This was further paired with a high skill level, particularly when it comes to his footwork. 

A much better athlete than given credit for, Jaquez has already proven the ability to drive past bigger defenders before rising and finishing in the paint. He also bullies smaller guards before getting to his preferred spots on the floor. 

The most perplexing thing for the Lakers is the fact that Jaquez could've come in and played right away. He's already a fixture within Miami's rotation, and there are times when he's closing for the Heat during crunch time. 

It's even more mind-boggling considering Jaquez grew up in Southern California and starred for UCLA for four seasons. 

Alas, this is yet another example of Erik Spoelstra and the Heat front office being smarter than pretty much anyone in the NBA. 

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Jason Fray
JASON FRAY

Jason Fray is a proud native of Los Angeles. After graduating from UCLA in 2011, he's written for a number of publications -- including Bleacher Report, FOX Sports, Saturday Down South, and New Arena. In his downtime, he enjoys writing scripts, going to shows, weekly pub trivia with the boys, trying the best hole-in-the-wall food spots around town, and traveling (22 countries & counting). 

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