New Orleans Pelicans: 3 Takeaways from the win over the Cleveland Cavaliers

Jaxson Hayes, 3-PT specialist

We touched base on Hayes’ progression as a player that might be able to fade off pick and rolls and knockdown faceup jump shots in a previous article, here—but what transpired was not to be expected.

It would’ve been a different scenario had the game been close, but that obviously wasn’t the case. The significant lead allowed Hayes to try something out of the comfort zone or potentially that would have got him in trouble with the coaching staff.

There were actually multiple instances this game where Hayes showed off the stroke, earlier he knocked down a faceup but from around 12 feet out. Stepping beyond the 3-PT line was definitely extending his range, yet the shot looked like he’d been doing that his entire life.

Though the range was nice to see and had Pelicans fans on social media in a trance, there were some alarming negatives to Hayes’ performance. Last season in the Big 12 Hayes finished second in the league in personal fouls (107), this game he was often biting over aggressively or was out of position leading to a multitude of fouls.

It’s his second game—this is Summer League action—so it’s not a genuine concern at this point, but it is something you want to see cleaned up moving forward.