Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Kel’el Ware sat side by side at the Thomas and Mack Center on Friday watching the Bucks take on the Heat in Las Vegas Summer League. They weren’t just any fans in the stands. They were the guys Miami just traded to Milwaukee in the Giannis Antetokounmpo blockbuster.
Which makes the visual of them watching the Heat from the other side feel a little strange. Tyler Herro was there too, by the way. All three former Heat players catching a glimpse of old teammates and new ones at the same time.
So what’s the deal with these two?
Jaquez Jr. finished runner-up for Sixth Man of the Year last season. He put up 15.4 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.7 assists while shooting 50.7 percent from the floor. He’s the kind of glue guy who does a little bit of everything. The Bucks are hoping that reputation as a Heat Culture product follows him to Milwaukee.
Ware is the wild card. The 7-footer got knocked for inconsistent effort at times and his shot comes and goes. But he’s 22 years old and still produced 11.1 points, 9.0 boards and 1.1 blocks in just 22 minutes a night. That’s not nothing for a guy his size.
Pat Riley and Erik Spoelstra have this reputation for finding guys who can play winning basketball even if they weren’t lottery picks. The Bucks front office is betting that same magic can just transfer over with the players. It’s not always that simple but Milwaukee clearly thinks it’s worth a shot.
These two are supposed to be a big part of what the Bucks look like going forward. Their work already started in Summer League, getting familiar with the roster and the system. Jaquez and Ware might not be Giannis but they’re the next chapter for a franchise that had to start over whether they wanted to or not.
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