Offseason, the Pelicans sent off the ball brother and welcomed Graham, who was supposed to be on the edge of the playoffs. In this way, the Pelicans became a team that completely missed the playoffs! Although the Pelicans currently have four consecutive wins, the Pelicans have a record of 12 wins and 21 losses and rank 13th in the West; in contrast, the Bulls, with 19 wins and 10 losses, have become the strongest team in the East! Arguably, the Pelicans' offseason operations were rather failed. Pelicans are actually missing 3D of about 2 meters, and as soon as the ball brother walks, the pelicans loopholes become even bigger! In less than 150 games, the first center of the 19th edition was used up, which is a pity...
Since the offseason, the Pelicans' champion Zion has not played until now because of obesity, which has greatly affected the Pelicans' combat effectiveness! The 19th-time champion was named an All-Star last season, which is enough to prove Zion's talent. In addition to Zion, the Pelicans 19th class also has a high-pick rookie, that is, No. 8 pick Jaxon Hayes. Speaking of which, Hayes was the first center player in the top 10 of the 19th class (in part because of the lack of talent in the 19th class), and the 19th was also known as the most promising one. In front of Hayes, there are top-talented strikers such as Kobe White, Culver, Hunter and RJ, as well as core defenders such as Garland and Morant.
Hayes, who graduated from the University of Texas, was fortunate enough to be selected by the Pelicans at the same time as Zion. In that year in Texas, Hayes averaged 10 points, 5 rebounds, 0.3 assists, 0.6 steals and 2.2 blocks per game, shooting 72.4% from the field and a good 74% from the free throw line, which also shows that Hayes' good finishing efficiency and shooting feel, together with Zion, are complementary. Zion's defensive end moves problems, hayes itself can make up for it greatly!
At the time of the draft, Hayes, who was 2 meters 11 tall and had an arm span of 2 meters 22, had a capella template and had the potential of a top blue-collar worker. The four-year, 20-million-plus rookie contract illustrates the Pelicans' expectations for Hayes, with excellent athleticism and mobility, and the defensive end can be defended from the inside to the outside of the three-point line. In his first season, Hayes got good playing opportunities, playing 64 games and starting in 14 games, averaging 7.4 points, 4.0 rebounds, 0.9 assists,4 steals and 0.9 blocks per game. But with the arrival of Adams last season, the arrival of Valanciunas this season, Hayes lost the opportunity to start. This season's stats come to the data of averaging 5.4 points, 3.2 rebounds, 0.2 assists, 0.2 steals and 0.6 blocks per game, compared to the rookie season, there has been a big decline!
Despite the decline, Hayes's pie-eating attributes have not changed, and on the court, Hayes often stages such a pie-eating dunk, which is very similar to Capela, McGee and other pie-eating centers! There is no ability to attack autonomously, and it almost relies on teammates to feed the ball to end the attack. Of course, this kind of play that does not occupy the ball is quite suitable for the small ball era, and blue-collar workers like Capela also hold a 5-year, 90 million contract? This is enough to show that blue-collar workers now have a good living space!
Defensively, thanks to excellent conditions, excellent dynamic talent, and a decent sense of defense, Hayes is often able to stage blocks for small defenders and interior players. I think Hayes' defensive ability is at least above the average level of the NBA's interior. Although Hayes is a bit of a bamboo pole type, it is difficult to see big men like O'Neill, Howard, Malone, and Big Ben in the small ball era today, and they will not be trampled!
Without the ball brother, the team feels like a mess, the singles of the star Ingram, the outside line Graham and Walker hold the ball and drag, and the interior Line Valanciunas will also attack autonomously, which causes the Pelicans' offense to drag the knot. Without Zion, the impact of the interior is limited, and we see that the Pelicans are not a satisfactory team today. The 100-round offensive efficiency is 106.8, ranking 24th in the league, and the defensive efficiency of 100 rounds is 111.1, ranking 25th in the league. Whether it's offense or defense, the Pelicans are terrible!
Because there is no ball brother, Hayes's role becomes less, no one feeds the ball, and Hales scores become difficult! But this season also has a brilliant performance, such as the previous game against the Jazz, the performance of 15 points on 3-of-3 shooting, which also shows that Hayes is not a pure blue-collar interior line, he still has a certain long-range shooting ability! Unfortunately, today's Pelicans did not take Hayes as a training object, and in the team's use of the No. 5 position, Valanciunas was the unyielding starter, and Hernan Gomez became the main substitute (with high ball dealer, low position ability and good shooting ability). I think Hayes has only played 145 NBA games now, and it is almost impossible to get stable playing time, and his talent is difficult to cash in, and he is not far from the edge of the NBA!