2019 NBA Mock Draft: The dust clears from the NBA trade deadline

The instinct for rebuilding teams, which New Orleans will be after they trade Anthony Davis this summer, is to shoot for the moon in the draft. There is a panic that can seep in for franchises moving on from a cornerstone star player that they need to replace that guy right away. It’s understandable in one regard — no longer is the priority to search for guys who fit the trajectory of the team with a star in his prime and it’s more realistic to start drafting players you want to develop and dig toward the ceiling with. We don’t know how the Pelicans will approach things — the last time they were desperate in the draft, they ended up with Davis himself. But Hayes is a beautiful in-between answer who has All-Star upside at the center spot but isn’t someone you have to hand the keys to the kingdom over to as a rookie.

Hayes’ potential is immense, to be sure. Despite his patience and controlled energy on the court, he affects almost every possession. He is ninth in the nation in block percentage and the only realistic draft prospect among the top ten rather than a specialist or mid-major outlier. The freshman is also making 75 percent of his shots from the field, an outrageous number that captures his coordination and skill at 6-11 and just 19 years old.

Hayes swallows opposing scorers. He has allowed, according to Synergy, just .529 points per possession in post-up situations, which would put him in the top tenth of the nation comparatively. He also gets his hands on just about one steal per 40 minutes despite patrolling the middle for Texas’ conservative defense.

Overall, Hayes is, of course, a dependent talent at the center position. But New Orleans likely wants to restock the cupboard on the fly this summer, making Hayes a perfect complement to the next star in town.