2023 NBA Draft Combine: Amari Bailey, Jaime Jaquez Jr. lead UCLA participants
Amari Bailey passes the ball from the perimeter. Bailey was one of four members of UCLA men’s basketball to participate in the 2023 NBA Draft Combine last week. (Courtesy of NBAE via Getty Images)
This post was updated May 23 at 11:30 p.m.
The 2023 NBA Draft Combine came and went in Chicago this past week, with four Bruins in attendance. UCLA men’s basketball’s Amari Bailey, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Adem Bona and Jaylen Clark all made the trip to the Windy City, meeting with scouts and measuring up against fellow draftees. Senior staffer Jon Christon and Sports Editor Sam Settleman break down how the players stacked up against the rest of the field.
Amari Bailey
Height without shoes: 6’ 3.25”
Wingspan: 6’ 7.00”
Weight: 190.8 pounds
Max vertical leap: 35 inches (T-33rd)
Lane agility time: 11.34 seconds (39th)
Scrimmages:
Game one (Wednesday): 17 PTS, 8 ASTs, 0 TOs, 4 REBs, 8/15 FG, 0/1 3-PT, 1/3 FT
Game two (Thursday): 19 PTS, 6 ASTs, 5 TOs, 2 REBs, 6/9 FG, 1/4 3-PT, 6/6 FT
Bailey was, without a doubt, one of the biggest risers in Chicago.
The freshman guard’s measurements didn’t blow anybody away. He measured a bit shorter than his official UCLA listing. He’s still a bit on the slender side at 190.8 pounds, and his drill results left a bit to be desired.
But he set himself apart in the scrimmages.
Bailey had a clear desire to show scouts his ability to be an on-ball facilitator. He primarily played off ball at UCLA, with redshirt senior guard Tyger Campbell handling the vast majority of facilitating duties. While that works in college, Bailey’s undersized frame and average shooting ability lend themselves to more of an on-ball role at the next level.
He looked the part of a high-potential point guard across two games at the combine.
Nobody had more assists in the scrimmages than Bailey, who totaled 14 in 50 minutes across the two contests. The coaches tasked him with bringing up the ball, setting up the offense and being the ball-handler in pick-and-roll sets, all of which are new roles for the 19-year-old at this level.
For the most part, Bailey looked comfortable with the ball in his hands. He showed a shrewd feel for the game, mixing in his crafty scoring ability with high-level passes in the two-man game.
Amari Bailey DIME.
Adama Sanogo finishes.Watch the Microsoft Surface #NBACombine on ESPN2 pic.twitter.com/AdW5OI59Eu
— NBA (@NBA) May 18, 2023
Some impressive shotmaking from Amari Bailey today including this tough baseline jumper as this first scrimmage closes out pic.twitter.com/dFRxVlx2IH
— Aram Cannuscio (@AC__Hoops) May 17, 2023
Bailey’s passing was a near revelation. He wasn’t a bad facilitator at UCLA – averaging 2.2 assists per game and a 14.6% assist percentage – but few knew he had the ability to make pinpoint perimeter passes into the paint with either hand as he did in Chicago.
UCLA’s Amari Bailey had a big platform to showcase himself in an outsized role at the NBA draft combine and capitalized by posting 36 points, 14 assists in 50 minutes of action through two games. Showed his excellent ball-handling ability, pace, vision and creativity in PnR. pic.twitter.com/i5lFXy21bw
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) May 19, 2023
His handle was on point, too. Opposing defenders had the incentive to show their ilk on that end of the floor with on-ball pressure all the way up the floor, but Bailey handled it with ease. He played at his own tempo, knowing when to push the pace and when to pull back and set up the offense.
AMARI BAILEY HANDLES ON DISPLAY pic.twitter.com/pd5HFVE92t
— NBA Draft (@NBADraft) May 18, 2023
Bailey did have five turnovers in his second game, and his outside shooting still left a bit to be desired, but overall, the scrimmages were just what Bailey needed to increase his draft buzz.
If he can translate that stellar play to his individual team workouts later in the month, Bailey will surely get first-round consideration.
For now, though, Bailey showed he has the potential to go beyond the off-ball slasher role he played in his first and only year with Bruins.
Draft range: Late first round to early-to-mid second round
Jaime Jaquez Jr.
Height without shoes: 6’ 6.00”
Wingspan: 6’ 9.50”
Weight: 226.4 pounds
Max vertical leap: 39 inches (T-6th)
Lane agility time: 11.21 seconds (34th)
While Bailey may have increased his draft stock last week, the same likely cannot be said for Jaquez.
That certainly doesn’t mean the senior guard/forward hurt his stock, but there’s little to be gleaned from an NBA Draft Combine performance without any scrimmage action. That being said, Jaquez has shown enough game action in four years at UCLA to let the results speak for themselves.
In terms of measurables, Jaquez perhaps surprised a few with his leaping ability. His standing vertical leap of 34.5 inches tied for third among all participants at the combine, while his max vertical leap of 39 inches tied for sixth.
Jaquez certainly was never labeled as unathletic in his college career, but rarely did he showcase his hops. Admittedly, though, Jaquez held back from leaping at times late in his career after ankle injuries plagued his junior season.
Aside from any private conversations with NBA teams, there was little to alter Jaquez’s stock last week, but an impressive vertical could potentially set him apart in a competitive class of wings.
Draft range: Late first round to mid-second round
Adem Bona
Height without shoes: 6’ 8.25”
Wingspan: 7’ 0.25”
Weight: 243.4 pounds
Bona attended the combine but didn’t participate in any drills or scrimmages after undergoing offseason surgery to repair a torn labrum.
So, while Bailey and Jaquez have some extra measurables, there’s even less to be gathered from Bona’s week in Chicago.
The freshman forward measured at just more than 6 feet, 8 inches, which is notably shorter than his 6-foot-10 listing at UCLA, but almost every player at the combine measures short without shoes. This year, there were only two true 7-footers among combine participants.
His 7-foot wingspan doesn’t necessarily put him in rarified air, but it does bolster his claim as one of the most naturally athletic bigs in college basketball. With Bona, neither athleticism nor size has ever been a question. He’s also considerably more muscular than most other one-and-done prospects, which puts him one step closer to being comparable to an NBA body.
Bona could still very well return to UCLA after testing the waters. The question is not whether he’s an NBA player but whether he wants to develop in college for another year or not. He has true lottery potential if he does choose to return to Westwood.
That decision will come sooner rather than later, with the deadline to withdraw from the draft process May 31.
Draft range: Early-to-late second round
Jaylen Clark
Height without shoes: 6’ 4.00”
Wingspan: 6’ 9.00”
Weight: 204.2 pounds
Like Bona, Clark could also decide to return to UCLA in the coming days.
And also like Bona, the junior guard didn’t participate in any drills or scrimmages despite attending the combine given he’s just months out from surgery to repair a torn Achilles.
With a much longer-term recovery than Bona, Clark has a different decision ahead. Should he return to UCLA, it’s unlikely he would return to the court for the Bruins until midway through Pac-12 play.
But Clark still projects to be an NBA player at some point, and that could even be this year.
He’s drawn a lot of comparisons to former Bruin Russell Westbrook as a tenacious guard on defense and an aggressive driver on offense, but Clark measured considerably bigger than Westbrook did at his combine 15 years ago. Clark is almost two inches taller with a bigger wingspan while also eclipsing the 200-pound mark.
If Clark did meet with NBA teams in Chicago, it would all come down to his injury timeline. If teams want to take a chance on a high-potential player who won’t be ready in the near future, Clark has every reason to say his final goodbyes to UCLA. But if not, he could very well wait another year to toss his hat in the ring.
Draft range: Late second round to undrafted