2019 NBA Draft: Full Mock Draft 2.0 – Pelicans take Zion; who goes next?

#9. Washington Wizards: Jaxson Hayes, C

School: Texas | Class: Freshman | Height: 6’11″ | Weight: 220 | Age: 18

The Wizards have many needs to fill, but I’m going Jaxson Hayes here to help address their deficiencies in the post. Dwight Howard has had a major fall from grace and relevance in the waning years of his career, and it might be time to draft the future at center. Hayes would bring size, toughness, accuracy at the free throw line, and plenty of room to grow.

Hayes shot a staggering 72% from the foul line. Think Karl-Anthony Towns with that kind of accuracy for a big. The biggest knock against Hayes is defensive IQ and how to not knock himself out of rebounding range, which contributed to his 5 rebounds per game, a pretty lackluster number for someone of his stature.

But with no need to immediately start Hayes, barring injury, he will have time to learn from one of the better centers in the game. Going to Washington would put him in the same division as former Texas center Mo Bamba of Orlando, and he would also play against another Texas big in Jarrett Allen in Brooklyn. Hook ’em.

With the uncertainty surrounding the Wizards, and no one really knowing what type of player John Wall will come back as, the guard position could be a reasonable area to address as well. However, Jaxson Hayes’ potential could be too high to pass on at #9.

– Cody Taylor (@CodyMTSports)