NBA Comparison: Jorge Garbajosa

Strengths: Extremely high intangibles guy that impacts games in ways that don’t always show on the boxscore … Unique skillset with his high IQ and feel for the game … Very soft stroke from midrange and loves the little fadeaways … High energy, always pushing the pace, especially on offense … Can be a hair slow-footed on defense, but makes up for it with smarts, his solid 6-9.5 wingspan, and good instincts … Was part of a UCLA squad that really excelled on defense … Has a strong body, and can really bump down low … seeks out contact on his way to the hoop… defending him looks exhausting… Has crafty finishing ability … In college he took a lot of post up opportunities … Highly versatile on offense — he has a more mature post game than you typically see these days of players of that size … Really brings it and competes hard … Appeared routinely stronger than defenders in college … Fairly quick release out to 3P range with good looking form, but he did not make many threes in college … Can make something out of nothing (chaos) … Utilizes bully ball to his advantage. Loves physical drives where he gets a half step past his defender, gets the shoulder into him, and holds position. From there he will often go into a spin move and silky smooth righty finish at the hoop … Determination. An engaged and aggressive defender with a fantastic motor … Dribbles very powerfully, really slams the ball on the ground making it difficult to steal, with control … He’s incredibly strong, especially when guarded by a two or three, and he really loves that little base line or mid range jumper … He tends to look a little out of control on the drive, especially in the full court. But the result is pure, he usually gets to his spot and can finish with a nice righty scoop lay up or jump stop into a floater … Especially if he can squeeze an extra few inches out of his shooting range and become proficient at least from the corner threes, it will likely make a big difference for his effectiveness at the next level … Insofar as you trust the stat in this context, his defensive rating remained around 89, which is very good. His UCLA teammate, and National Defensive Player of the Year Jaylen Clark had a defensive rating of 86 (which is elite). The question becomes to what extent did Jaquez benefit from playing with another elite defender, and within a great system, vs what his individual contribution and abilities are? All that said, he appears to have many skills, such as good hands and good instincts, that can help on the defensive end. His teammate Clark got a mind blowing 3.4 steals per game. But Jaquez was no slouch – second on the team with a still damn-good 1.9, a testament to his hands and instincts … Decent free throw percentage at just below 80%… it’s surprising he didn’t get there more often given his very physical style of play (less than 4 FTA per game) … Really turned into an elite rebounder his senior year at more than 8 per game total, and 2.5 offensive rebounds per game, a marked improvement over previous seasons …

Weaknesses: Fast enough in a straight line. But he doesn’t have elite burst (from a standing position) … Measured an amazing 39 inch max vertical at the NBA Draft combine, but honestly did not play that athletic at UCLA … This lack of explosion was apparent on the defensive end, where he may be prone to getting beat by a quick first step. Relies on his strength and physicality … By all accounts is a smart team defender. But lateral quickness is a concern. There were a number of times we saw him get beat in an isolation situation off the dribble by a quicker ballhandler … There are many ways to mask and hide this in the NBA, but of course worth noting … At UCLA he had an anomalous nearly 40% 3P sophomore shooting season. But mostly he was only about 31% from three in his time at UCLA — not good enough for the next level… You’d love to see him rely a little less on the faraway, which can be a hard to shot to maintain consistency with, and instead establish position and go up with a simpler form … If he can maintain consistency in the fadeaway, then by all means, through … 8.3.5″ standing reach is on the small side for a combo forward … Turned 22 in February (16th) making him one of the older players, though what you would expect as a senior …

Overall: A throwback. Strong, physical forward with a face up game. Has a reputation for being a bit slow-footed especially defensively, which is fair. And he rarely get more than 3-4″ off the floor. But there is a whole lot to like, even defensively, including his excellent hands and instincts and his 6’9.5″ wingspan in 6’7” frame… Can an NBA defensive scheme cover up his slower feet? Yes, and he’s capable of making it worth their while on the offensive end… Anyone who plays in the school yard knows “the old man’s game” and Jaquez has a lot of that. Smarts, craftiness, good hands, physicality, soft touch, and a very powerful spin move / drop step. Would love to see him bump up his 3P percentage, as she’s shown flashes of being capable of. Stylistically, he stands out in a few ways. Stylistically, the way he runs, it’s sort of like these short, choppy steps (but he has decent speed in a straight line). And as mentioned, he jumps more than a few inches inches off the ground … Has experience competing with the best of the best already, holding his own in Rico Hines summer runs with players such as Tyrese Haliburton and Trae Young, among others …

Notes: Measured 6′ 6.00” barefoot, 8′ 3.50” standing reach, 226.4 lbs, and 6′ 9.50” wingspan, and a 39 inch max vertical at the 2023 NBA Draft Combine … Jaquez was a four year letter winner at UCLA and leaves with a host of accolades and impressive feats:… 8th on UCLA’s All Time career scoring list (1,802)… 8th in career steals (178) and 11th in career rebounding (842), 9th in steals per game (1.33) … 8th in career NCAA Tournament minutes played (450 over 12 games) … Led UCLA in total rebounds in three consecutive seasons (2021, 2022 and 2023) … Named the Lute Olson National Player of the Year (by CollegeInsider.com) … 2023 Pac-12 Player of the Year (UCLA’s first such selection since Kevin Love in 2008) … Two-time Pac-12 All-Defensive Team … Played all minutes numerous time for UCLA (a testament to his motor)! … In high school, was a two-year varsity baseball letter winner as a right-handed pitcher and first baseman … Competes for the Mexican National Team … Both parents played basketball at Concordia University (Irvine)  …

Drew Wolin 6/11/23