Is Jaime Jaquez Jr. playing tonight in 2024 NBA Rising Stars Challenge Game? Latest on Team Pau's forward's status 

Jaime Jaquez Jr. will play tonight for Team Pau at the 2024 NBA Rising Stars Challenge Game. The Miami Heat rookie is a dark horse contender to win the Rising Stars Challenge MVP, with Team Pau favorites to win it all for the second consecutive season.

Jaquez Jr. could be pivotal due to his versatile play on both. The UCLA prospect has been excellent for the Heat, averaging 12.9 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.6 assists on 49.2% shooting. He's been dubbed as the Jimmy Butler replica because of his eerily similar game to the Heat's marquee star.

The comparison makes a compelling case for Jaquez Jr. to be a difference-maker for Team Pau despite playing alongside Rising Stars Challenge MVP favorites like Victor Wembanyama and Brandon Miller.

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What happened to Jaime Jaquez Jr.?

Jaime Jaquez Jr. has missed six games due to injury this season. He's dealt with various ailments to his groin and head. However, he's back in the lineup and played 11 consecutive games entering the 2024 NBA All-Star break. Jaquez has been a decent contributor since his return, with a slight dip in numbers as Miami is healthy now and has added Terry Rozier before the trade deadline.

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Jaime Jaquez Jr. will also be active for Slam Dunk contest

Jaime Jaquez Jr. will be among the four participants participating in the Slam Dunk Contest on 2024 All-Star Saturday. Jaquez Jr. joins headline Jaylen Brown, reigning champion Mac McClung and G-League star Jacob Toppin to contend for one of the most attractive contests at the All-Star weekend.

Jaquez isn't as renowned for his flashy dunks as the other four contestants, but he can be a handful to deal with at the rim. Jaquez is not new to a Slam Dunk contest, though. He participated in one of those a few years ago when he was in high school.

He beat 76ers wing and high-flyer KJ Martin and NFL player Drake London. Jaquez Jr. isn't among the favorites on Saturday, though. He hasn't had many in-game moments or a well-known pedigree like Mac McClung or Jaylen Brown.

However, Jaquez Jr. is working on things never seen before from him ahead of the dunk contest. It will be interesting to see what he cooks up to prevail against the other three participants.

He seemed confident when talking about it on Paul George's podcast recently, while sharing the challenges of preparing for the event and drawing inspiration from memorable performers like Blake Griffin, Aaron Gordon and Zach LaVine.