Lakers Big Mistake? New Report Has the Lakers Interested to Draft Jaime Jaquez Jr.

Many fans raised their eyebrows when they heard the name of Jalen Hood-Schifino, the 2023 NBA Draft Pick for the LA Lakers when players like Cam Whitmore and Jaime Jaquez Jr. were still available, but decided to trust the scouting team's department, after all, they have made a great job finding players like Alex Caruso and most recently Austin Reaves.

After 32 games in the season, Jalen Hood-Schifino looks like a bet for the future but not a player that could've helped this season in the team's aspirations of winning it all, especially the NBA 2023-24 title and Jaime Jaquez Jr. could've been that player.

Some people within the Los Angeles Lakers organization reportedly wanted the team to draft Jaime Jaquez Jr., who was selected by the Miami Heat with the No. 18 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft.

“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 told Heavy Sports. “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.”

Jalen Hood-Schifino has been a disappointment so far

The Lakers opted to draft Hood-Schifino with the No. 17 overall pick. He has appeared in just seven games with the storied franchise so far during the 2023-24 regular season and is averaging 2.6 points, 0.9 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game while shooting 25.0 percent from the field.