UCLA star player, Jaime Jaquezwill declare himself ready for the 2023 NBA Draft and forfeit his college eligibility, he told ESPN Thursday.
“I had an incredible journey graduating from UCLA,” Jáquez said. “I want to thank all my coaches, teammates and staff for helping me on this journey.”
Jáquez, prospect number 34 in the projections of the NBA Draft of ESPNwas a unanimous All-American, Pac-12 Player of the Year, and recipient of the Lute Olson National Award.
“My goal in enrolling at UCLA was never to get personal accolades,” Jáquez said. “It was to jumpstart the UCLA basketball conversations. When I was a kid, there were some bad years. I wanted to push the program in the right direction. I didn’t think I’d be in this position when I graduated.”
Jáquez averaged 17.8 points, 8.2 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game, leading UCLA to a Pac-12 championship and the No. 2 seed in the NCAA tournament. UCLA made its third straight Sweet 16 appearance, losing on a last-second shot to Gonzaga; Jáquez added 29 points, 11 rebounds, three assists and three steals.
Jáquez, who helped UCLA reach the NCAA Final Four in 2021, ranks in the top 10 all-time in points and steals and ranks 11th in rebounding. He was a two-time first-team All-Pac 12 selection and a two-time member of the defensive team.
Jaquez, a senior, could have returned due to the extra year of eligibility given to all student-athletes in 2020 after the COVID pandemic.
“I knew this was my last year at UCLA,” Jáquez said. “It never crossed my mind to come back. I wanted to do everything I could to win a national championship, but I’m proud of everything we’ve accomplished in my four years here.”
Standing just over seven feet tall, Jáquez is an attractive player for NBA teams because of the way he contributes to wins with his productivity, game sense, defensive instincts, toughness and two-way versatility. He played a variety of roles at UCLA, operating as the primary ball handler and offensive playmaker while protecting everyone from point guards to centers.
Jáquez says he knows he will be asked to play a different role in the NBA than the one he was used as a powerhouse in UCLA’s offense.
“It’s going to be a smooth transition because I know how to play with other great players, whether it’s defending the best player on the other team, knocking down open shots or being a playmaker and facilitator,” Jaquez said. “I’m an underrated passer. I believe in my shooting and the work I put in. I know I can shoot the ball. I’ll do anything as long as we win.”
Jáquez, who is Mexican-American, was invited to USA Basketball camps on four separate occasions between the ages of 15 and 17, but chose to represent the Mexican National Team at the 2019 Pan American Games and says he hopes to also represent the team at FIBA tournaments in the future.
The NBA Combine will take place May 15-21 in Chicago, and the Draft will be June 22 in Brooklyn.
“Wherever they select me, I don’t care,” Jaquez said. “I’m going to have some kind of impact. People will feel that I impacted their organization. Jimmy Butler, Josh HartThose are the players I study. They have a different mindset; They play to win.”
Jonathan Givony is an NBA Draft expert and the founder and co-owner of DraftExpress.com, a private research and analysis service used by NBA, NCAA and international teams.
