New Orleans Pelicans: 3 things to watch in Pels’ preseason game vs. Heat

New Orleans Pelicans: What to look for in preseason game vs. Miami Heat

Who is the Backup Center?

After watching Stan Van Gundy coach for many years, I can tell you that if you don’t play defense, you will not play, and it doesn’t matter how talented you are or where you were drafted.

In other words, Jaxson Hayes is not going to be just handed the backup center minutes because he is a highlight-reel athlete who was drafted in the lottery.

The Pels went with defensive depth this season, allowing Jahlil Okafor to walk and replacing him with Willy Hernangomez.

Hernangomez is a solid defender and has some size, so if Hayes has not shown improvement on the defensive end, he will lose his minutes to the veteran.

Hayes will get every chance to prove himself, as his ceiling is about a mile higher than Willy’s, but Stan Van Gundy wants to win games and will prioritize that over Hayes’ development.

Hayes is the more talented player by far but he needs to clean up some of his mistakes on defense and get better at protecting the rim or he might find himself lower on the depth chart than last year.