The current state of the Milwaukee Bucks is an absolute mess. They don’t have much going for them right now, and they are going to lose a lot of games this season. But one guy who Bucks fans can take solace in is Jaime Jaquez Jr. Because with how well he’s been playing, he is quickly becoming the most important guy in town.
Jaquez has been very impressive in his minutes. He’s earned the role of a starter and is taking advantage of it. Obviously, that’s great in his own right. And if he keeps it up, he’s the perfect type of role player the Bucks should want to keep around. But he’s also on a very tradable contract, so the better he plays, the more Milwaukee could get for him at the trade deadline.
So, it’s twofold with Jaquez. If he plays well, that’s great. The Bucks can keep him around. But it also makes him a lot easier to trade.
Jaime Jaquez Jr. is becoming Bucks' most important player
Through the first five games of the Bucks’ season so far, the only player earning more minutes per game than Jaquez has been Tyler Herro. Herro is at 30.8 minutes a night, and Jaquez is at 29.2.
And he’s been chipping in across the stat sheet. Jaquez isn’t just a scorer. He’s a playmaker, a rebounder, and a solid defender, too. It’s been a nice, well-rounded season for him so far.
In his first five appearances in a Bucks uniform, Jaquez has averaged 17.8 points (career-high), 7.2 rebounds (career-high), and 2.6 assists while shooting 53.3% from the field (career-high) and 42.1% from deep on 3.8 three-point attempts a night (both career-highs).
If anything, the Bucks should be using him more. Jaquez averaged 4.7 assists for the Heat last year. Leveraging his playmaking could help Jaquez go from a supercharged role player to a fringe star.
Again, if he plays well enough, he’s definitely the type of guy the Bucks should want to keep around for the long haul. He’s still only 25 years old, after all.
That said, Jaquez only makes $5.9 million this season. And he’s on an expiring contract. That’s the type of deal teams will be foaming at the mouth to acquire at the deadline.
Milwaukee could land some serious draft capital in the right trade for Jaquez, especially with how many injuries are popping up around the league. Teams need insurance.
So, Jaquez is the most important player in Milwaukee right now. Not just because of how well he’s been playing, but also because of what it could mean at the trade deadline.
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