In this series, we’ll grade each New Orleans Pelicans’ player on the season they had before the hiatus. Today’s grade book features Jaxson Hayes.
Jaxson Hayes is one of the New Orleans Pelicans’ most intriguing young stars and has given the team plenty of reason to be excited.
Hayes is just a 19-year-old rookie, so it is not surprising that his season has been up and down.
He’s shown flashes of his potential with huge blocks and dunks, but he has also shown some areas he needs to improve, particularly on the defensive end.
Most people will either remember Hayes’ rookie season for its highlight-reel dunks or his NSFW rant after he didn’t make the Rising Stars Challenge.
Hayes eventually apologized for his rant and all was forgiven, so we prefer to remember his rookie season for plays like this:
J.J. Redick‘s face says it all.
Hayes has the type of elite athleticism, hops and motor to be a force, as you saw above. He challenged the shot at the rim, beat his defender back and stayed with the rebound for the big dunk.
I’ll offer Exhibit B of Hayes insane leaping ability. He nearly jumps over the defender on this dunk and then blocks a shot with his elbow. Check this out:
Though Hayes is averaging just 7.5 points and four rebounds a game, he did have some big games for the New Orleans Pelicans in his rookie campaign.
He had a stretch from December 5th to December 17th where he scored double-digits in six of seven games.
Hayes had three double-doubles on the season including back-to-back contests against the Bulls and Knicks.
These numbers are even more impressive when you consider Hayes only played 17 minutes per game on average.
In fact, when you look at his per-36 numbers of 15.9 points, 8.4 rebounds, and two blocks, you can see why the New Orleans Pelicans are excited.
Most teenage rookies never get off the bench, so it was nice to see Hayes get some run, even if he had started to rack up the DNP’s before the hiatus.
I don’t think anyone would argue that Hayes’ first year has been a success. He’s done a lot right, but there are some things he needs to improve.
Let’s break down Jaxson Hayes’ first season and get to the grade.