For Jaime Jaquez Jr., these October exhibition games were supposed to serve as a high-stakes, real-time audition. The young forward entered camp eligible for a rookie-scale contract extension, but through the first two games of the preseason slate with the Milwaukee Bucks, that audition has hit a massive wall.
Jaime Jaquez Jr.'s Bucks campaign is off to a rough start
Any NBA fan knows that preseason basketball rarely matters in the grand scheme of an 82-game campaign. Rotations are erratic, legs are heavy from training camp, and coaches care more about experimenting than winning non-bearing games. Unless, of course, you are playing for life-altering money on a ticking clock.
In Milwaukee's preseason opener against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Jaquez looked completely out of sync. Logging 18 minutes, he managed just five points on an ugly 2-of-7 shooting night while finishing as a -7 on the floor. If that was just an opening-night mulligan to shake off the rust, Wednesday night against Oklahoma City only compounded the headache.
Against the Thunder, Jaquez got up 12 field goal attempts but converted just four of them, scuffling his way to 13 points, picking up four quick fouls, and posting a -6 in the box score.
That brings his two-game preseason tally to an ice-cold 6-of-19 (31.5 percent) from the floor.
It is one thing to miss jumpers in October; it is another to look hesitant in the exact areas where you're supposed to excel. In Miami, Jaquez made his name as a ruthless mid-post bully and an opportunistic, high-IQ connective piece. In Milwaukee's opening tune-ups, the deliberate, physical edge that defined his runner-up Sixth Man of the Year campaign has looked bogged down and sluggish against opposing wing length.
That creates an immediate problem for both the player and the franchise.
The Bucks are already caught in a financial bind over whether to treat Jaquez as a $20-plus-million-a-year starting wing or a high-end reserve. If Jaquez had come into camp torching nets, attacking closeouts, and commanding the floor alongside the young core, he would have forced Horst's hand to get a deal done right now to avoid a messy restricted free agency next summer.
Instead, two duds have effectively frozen the front office's pen. It's obviously just the preseason, but if this type of play keeps up, the only thing keeping Jaquez around will be the fact that Kyle Kuzma is the only remaining alternative at small forward.
Every second matters for Jaime Jaquez Jr.'s extension hopes
You simply do not hand out massive, multi-year extensions off vibes and hope. If Jaquez continues to struggle with his shot creation, foul trouble, and overall floor impact over the next week, the Bucks will gladly let the October 19 deadline pass in silence.
The potential to be a great connective piece is still very much there, but Jaquez may find that his runway is shrinking rapidly with every passing game once the regular season comes around. With only a couple of exhibition games left before the regular season tips off, Jaquez needs to turn the corner immediately. Otherwise, any dreams of securing that bag before opening night are officially cooked.
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