At 1-12, the Milwaukee Bucks clearly have a lot of issues. Mostly, it revolves around players not living up to expectations. However, Jaime Jaquez Jr. has not been among them. Despite being a victim of a series of rotation changes, Jaquez has remained the ultimate chameleon, blending into whatever role he's thrown into perfectly. It's a small silver lining in what has been an ugly season so far.
Jaquez is thriving no matter where he's at
After spending his entire career in Miami as a second unit piece, Jaquez was named a day-one starter with the Milwaukee Bucks. Poised for the biggest role of his young career, Jaquez embraced his fresh opportunity, averaging 15.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game. Still, needing a spark off the bench, Jenkins opted to send him to the second unit amid his ever-changing rotation plans.
Jaquez embraced it. In fact, while it's a small sample size of just two outings, Jaquez has been better as a bench piece thus far. He's averaging 23.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per contest. His 23.5 points are the most any player is averaging off the bench this season, with Orlando's Anthony Black coming in second at 18. Jaquez is in a league of his own.
Sure, it hasn't led to wins yet, but the forward is helping Milwaukee deploy a more balanced scoring attack by having Tyler Herro roll with the starters and then bringing Jaquez off the bench.
Despite the unstable role, Jaquez is putting together the best year of his entire NBA career, averaging 16.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game. In a season where most Bucks players are falling short of expectations, Jaquez is on the complete opposite end of the spectrum—boding well for his chances at a hefty raise next summer.
Jaquez can't get comfortable in new role yet
While he's thriving, it wouldn't be surprising if Jaquez was thrown back into the starting unit when the Milwaukee Bucks take the court next. Looking for a spark anywhere, Coach Taylor Jenkins is leaving no stone unturned. Following a loss at the hands of the Orlando Magic, it'd be shocking if he left the group that started that game in place.
All Jaquez can do is approach every game the same and produce no matter when he checks in, which he's certainly shown he can do. His reliability has been overshadowed by how poorly the group as a whole is playing, but the forward deserves recognition.
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