UCLA Basketball: Jaime Jaquez Given Slim Odds To Win Tonight's All-Star Dunk Contest

Bogus.

Former UCLA Bruins Pac-12 Player of the Year Jaime Jaquez Jr., now a Rookie of the Year candidate with the Miami Heat, has been allocated the lowest odds to win among the four-person pool in tonight's AT&T Slam Dunk Contest.

Per Shams Charania of The Athletic, Jaquez has been given +800 odds of actually winning the competition, behind heavy favorite Mac McClung of the G League's Osceola Magic (-270), who is of course last year's returning champ, and Boston Celtics All-Star Jaylen brown (+500). Jaquez's +800 odds tie him with two-way New York Knicks small forward Jacob Toppin.

NBA Slam Dunk Contest impact at @FDSportsbook: pic.twitter.com/glDgkf2HnJ

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 17, 2024

Jaquez, selected out of the 2023 NBA draft lottery with the No. 18 pick out of UCLA, seems like a shoo-in to make the All-Rookie First Team, thanks to his strong play as the top reserve for an Eastern Conference playoff contender (and the conference's most recent Finals representative), currently the seventh seed with a 30-25 record. The 6'6" swingman is averaging 12.9 points on .492/.321/.815 shooting splits, 3.9 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.1 steals a night.

He's a willing scorer, solid rebounder for his position and, most importantly for his current franchise, an enthusiastic wing defender. He's got the length and athleticism to be a solid dunker, and has had some fun moments thus far, but he may lack the flash (McClung) or name recognition (Brown) to make him a favorite.