NBA Rumors: Few LA Lakers personnel coveted Jaime Jaquez Jr. but chose a 'big swing' over 'safe bet'

The LA Lakers could've had an outstanding rookie in Jaime Jaquez Jr. this season but opted to draft Jalen Hood-Schifino. According to league sources, there were people in the Lakers organization who wanted to draft the former UCLA player. However, things changed, blowing their chances of having a stellar rookie.

Jaquez has been a fan favorite this season. He continues to amaze fans who have consistently watched him in his first year as a professional basketball player. The 6-foot-6 forward is third behind Chet Holmgren and Victor Wembanyama, who are first and second, respectively, in the Rookie of the Year race.

Hood-Schifino, on the other hand, hasn't received a lot of chances from the Lakers. He started the season with a good number of DNPs and was just recently involved in the rotation. The rookie has only played seven games this season.

During the 2023 NBA Draft, the Lakers had the 17th pick and chose to draft Hood-Schifino. Meanwhile, the 18th pick was with the Miami Heat. They wasted no time in selecting Jaquez.

Now, a Western Conference executive feels like the Los Angeles team blew their chance as the 22-year-old first-year player has outperformed most rookies:

"I know there were some people in that organization who wanted Jaime Jaquez to stay in California and be a Laker," a Western Conference executive said.

"He was the perfect role player for what they needed, he is a tough kid, he is a grinder. You could watch him last year and just tell he was ready to chip in for a good NBA team. The Lakers like to use their picks to take big swings and not the safe bet, and that is how they were looking at Jalen [Hood-Schifino]. But they needed guys who could play now. And look at what Jaquez is doing. They blew it, for sure."

“Some within Lakers wanted Jaime Jacques Jr. but Lakers prefer big swings over safe bets and saw Hood-Schifno as that even when they needed someone who could play now… They blew that draft for sure.” byu/JanuaryCarl inlakers

Besides missing out on Jaquez, the Lakers have struggled this season. Their campaign could've looked slightly differently if they had just selected the versatile wing.

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Will Jimmy Butler play against the LA Lakers tonight?

The LA Lakers will take on the Miami Heat tonight after coming off a 129-109 loss against the New Orleans Pelicans. Unfortunately, Miami won't have their star available tonight as they visit Los Angeles. Jimmy Butler has been ruled out of the game as he continues to deal with a foot injury.

The Heat played against the LA Clippers in their last game, and Butler was also unavailable then. This is the 10th game that he will miss. If the six-time All-Star misses more than seven games moving forward, he won't qualify for any regular season awards.

Butler is averaging 21 points, five rebounds and 4.5 assists while shooting 37% from deep.

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