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10 - Nigel Hayes

6-7, 255 Power Forward
Wisconsin Senior
Birthday
12/16/94 (29.3 yrs)
Hometown
Toledo, OH
High School
Whitmer
Team Site Profile
Statistics
Athleticism
6
Size
7
Defense
8
Strength
9
Quickness
6
Leadership
8
Jump Shot
6
NBA Ready
8
Rebounding
7
Potential
6
Post Skills
7
Intangibles
7
85 Overall:

Comparison: Patric Young

Strengths: After testing the NBA draft waters as a junior, only to come back for his senior season, it’s clear Nigel Hayes has taken some of that feedback to improve his chances of getting picked … Sporting a massive 7’3’’ wingspan, he has solid length for a 6’7’’ player … Hayes is also a sturdy player at 254 pounds, who has the physicality to make the leap to playing against stronger players in the NBA … Hayes used that length and physical maturity to hit a respectable 62% clip at the rim last season … Nigel brings a pretty well balanced offensive floor game to the table as well … He’s been a focal point in the Wisconsin offense for the past two seasons, and averaged 14 points per game a senior … He is an above average ball handler for a power forward, can score off the dribble or in the post, as well as possessing a natural feel for distribution … He is a very capable post scorer, and due to his length and size, could find success exploiting smaller NBA small forwards in post up situations … Good feel without the ball around the hoop as well … As a senior he dished out 2.7 assists per game, while only turning the ball over 1.7 times per contest … While splitting time on the block and on the perimeter, Hayes also pulled in 6.6 rebounds (2.2 offensive) per contest, and has the length to effect the NBA game on the glass as well … Nigel was a really high level role player as a sophomore while playing with Frank Kaminsky, and Sam Dekker but struggled at times to be the lead player when they left … When looking at an NBA future, Hayes’ ability to fit in with a high level team and play off better players is a nice sign as he doesn’t need the ball in his hands to be an asset to a team …
 
Weaknesses: After hitting 0 threes as a freshman, Hayes’ development of a three point shot has been a bit of a mixed bag … He nailed 40 threes at a nearly 40% clip as a sophomore, but regressed as a junior and senior … Last season he hit 31% of long range attempts, and doesn’t look to have the range to be much of a spacing factor in the NBA … He also showed an unexpected dip in free throw shooting as a senior which didn’t exactly aid his reputation as a shooter … Hayes is a bit underwhelming in terms of athleticism as well … He posted improved vertical leap numbers as a senior at the combine, but his standing reach also measured 3 inches shorter … Even with those numbers, his leaping stats were among the worst in the whole combine … After not coming into the combine in the greatest shape as a junior, he didn’t seize the opportunity to come into Chicago boasting a lower weight or body fat percentage … In an era that favors more positionless basketball, Hayes’ lack of a perimeter game kind of limits his outlook … Being an undersized 4 isn’t as scathing of a weakness as it was a decade ago, but being an undersized 4 that is a shaky outside shooter is still a major setback …
 
Overall: Nigel Hayes is a mature, rangy, high character player who can do a little bit of everything on the court. His lack of a reliable outside shot paired with his 6’7’’ stature, really limits his projection to the NBA. While a likely undrafted player, he will get the opportunity of playing Summer League, and if he can tap into what made him excel as a high level complimentary player as a sophomore, he may have a shot of working his way into the league.
 
Notes: Measured  6′ 6.25” barefoot, 6′ 7.5” in shoes, 254.2 lbs, 7′ 3.25”, wingspan,. 8′ 8.5” standing reach, and 11.5 percent body fat at the 2017 NBA Draft Combine …
 
David Ray 6-11-17

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