The New Orleans Pelicans have been largely disappointing this season, partly because their young guys have not progressed.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker is out of the rotation after showing poor shot selection and ball handling.
Kira Lewis Jr. has been up and down, though he has flashed signs that he will be a competent point guard at some point.
Same with 20-year-old Jaxson Hayes, who shows signs of how he can be an impact talent on this team but also also disappeared from the rotation due to inconsistent play.
I listed Hayes as one of the guys the Pels need more from in the second half but first he has to beat out Hernangomez for minutes.
Hayes is certainly more talented than Willy Hernangomez but the latter doesn’t make as many mistakes and is in general much more consistent even though he is not spectacular by any measure.
If the New Orleans Pelicans continue to fade from playoff contention, Hayes is going to see more action, so there is still plenty of time for him to save his season and come away with some positives.
Here’s how he can do it.
New Orleans Pelicans: Jaxson Hayes needs to hustle relentlessly
One thing that has been missing from this Pelicans’ team is desire and hustle. We see it from Josh Hart off the bench, but hardly anyone else brings consistent energy and hustle, especially off the bench.
Hayes needs to be relentless when he does get into the game, to run the floor like his life depends on it and to move non-stop on defense.
I have spent a lot of time watching Isaiah Stewart for the Detroit Pistons, who is a rookie yet already better than Hayes. Why? The man is relentless.
He sprints back on offense, and gets 2-3 easy hoops a game just by beating his man down the floor. He fouls a lot, yes, but he never stops moving on defense, is never standing around flat-footed and even if he is out of position, he finds someone to defend or put a body on.
This is the type of play we need to see from Hayes, who has coasted on pure talent for far too long. Sorry, kid, but that doesn’t work in the NBA, where every player was the best on their team at some point.
Hayes will win over Stan Van Gundy if he plays with fire, and relentless hustle that will help the coach overlook some of his mistakes.
Hayes flashed signs of this in the comeback vs. the Bulls but it has to be his modus operandi. Hayes is often just standing around, which is not a good look. Even if it is not always effective, you’ll never get embarrassed if you hustle.
New Orleans Pelicans: Jaxson Hayes needs to focus on defense
In the aforementioned game against the Bulls, Hayes had a number of blocked shots in his short time on the floor and disrupted plenty of others.
This is how he makes his way back into the rotation.
Hayes is known for his athleticism and flashy dunks but what he should be known for is defense, as that will be his primary role in the NBA, especially as long as he is on the New Orleans Pelicans.
The Pels don’t need him to score at all and they certainly don’t need him to jack up jump shots or to handle the ball in the post.
The Pelicans have plenty of guys who can score, what they need are guys who focus 100 percent on the other end.
Hayes should be watching film every day to better learn about positioning. He should be studying similar players to get an idea of how they impact the game without scoring.
He needs to have better footwork and more action off the ball, as he can be a force at the rim at times, which is exactly what the Pelicans need out of a backup center right now.
The offense may come over time, but even if it doesn’t, Hayes can be an impact player if he focuses his attention on the holes in his defensive game.
New Orleans Pelicans: Jaxson Hayes should watch Robin Lopez
Robin Lopez has never been much of a scorer in the NBA, in fact, his shot is pretty ugly. He is getting better especially from behind-the-arc but if you watch his early career, he rarely shot the ball unless he was right at the rim.
So how has Lopez stayed in the league and made so much money? He does three things very well: Set screens, play team defense and rebounds the ball.
Lopez doesn’t care about his stats, only about winning and making his teammates better. Jaxson Hayes can do this by getting better defensively (which I already mentioned) and by rebounding and setting screens on the offensive end.
Hayes can be tough to stop when he is rolling to the rim, but first he has to set a screen that actually involves some contact with the defender. He usually rolls way too early without really touching the defender, so the pick-and-roll isn’t as effective.
Hayes can also be a force on the offensive glass, as he has the height and hops to get to balls quickly for tip-ins and dunks.
Hayes should be crashing the offensive glass on every shot and needs to learn how to set better screens so that he can be more of a contributor on offense without shooting the ball.
Jaxson Hayes is still very young and seems to have the desire to be great, but so far his efforts have largely been unfocused.
He needs to learn the game from the defensive end up, start setting more physical screens and to crash the offensive glass for put backs.
There is time to save this season for Jaxson Hayes but it will take work.