The Los Angeles Lakers are one of the biggest teams in the NBA which always attracts the top names in the league.
As a result, the Purple and Gold have relied on getting big-name free agents during the offseason to win NBA championships rather than focusing on drafting and developing young players.
Sure, there have been a few outliers of this trend, such as Magic Johnson and Kobe Bryant, who became legends for the team while becoming superstars within the system.
Speaking of which, the Lakers once again missed out on getting a solid player in the 2023 NBA Draft.
NBA insider Anthony F. Irwin recently shared his frustration about the Lakers not drafting Jaime Jacquez Jr. via his official Twitter handle.
“The Lakers passed on the opportunity to draft a legit good Mexican player who played at UCLA and grew up in SoCal,” Irwin tweeted.
The Lakers passed on the opportunity to draft a legit good Mexican player who played at UCLA and grew up in SoCal. They didn’t even work him out. https://t.co/4MPLPKpQLD
— Anthony F. Irwin (@AnthonyIrwinLA) February 27, 2024
Irwin reacted to a clip of Jaquez’s elite footwork during the Miami Heat versus Sacramento Kings game.
The Heat rookie can be seen outplaying the Kings with his post moves combined with his aforementioned footwork.
Keeping that in mind, Irwin called out the Lakers for passing on the opportunity to draft him.
The insider’s frustration was primarily due to the fact Jaquez played for UCLA during his collegiate career.
Instead of Jaquez, the Lakers decided to draft Jalen Hood-Schifino with the 17th overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft.
Hood-Schifino has played just 19 games this season where he has averaged 1.7 points, 0.6 rebounds, and 0.4 assists per game for the Lakers.
On the other hand, Jaquez has contributed 13.0 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game in 51 appearances for the Heat this season.
Leave a Reply