2019 NBA Mock Draft: The Lakers are finished
Jaxson Hayes. 10. player. 69. . C. Texas
Since you last heard from us, Hayes went and put together his career high in scoring, a 19-point outburst against TCU. The Texas guards were feeding Hayes the ball better than they have all season so while Hayes’ diet consisted mostly of putbacks and dump offs, he was a huge part of the offense.
TCU big man Kevin Samuel stood no chance against Hayes, as the Texas freshman was able to showcase his strength. On a few early postups, Hayes rammed his shoulder into Samuel to create space before going to an easy righty layup. Quietly, despite a smaller frame and inconsistent opportunities, Hayes scores 1.08 points per possession on post-ups, an elite mark. He rarely passes out of them, meaning he has been able to score down low against college competition. His touch and coordination inside bode well for his ability to stay on the floor offensively in the NBA against mismatches.
However, his biggest value will be in doing traditional big man stuff incredibly well. His footwork in the pick-and-roll on both ends is exciting to watch for such a young player. If he’s setting a screen, Hayes knows exactly when to pivot with his hips and roll to the rim, and he has solid instincts to improvise on when to slip the screen or go up for an alley-oop. When he’s defending the same action, Texas coach Shaka Smart has him hedging slightly toward the ball-handler, where his foot speed is excellent containing the ball and recovering back to the roller. Over and over this year, Hayes has batted down passes to the big man when the guard thinks he has space over the top of Hayes’ head. Nope.
We see more big men than you’d think come in and make an impact early in their careers in simplified roles. Hayes has that type of floor and a Defensive Player of the Year ceiling.