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10 - Jaxson Hayes

6-11, 220 Power Forward/Center
Texas Freshman
Birthday
05/23/00 (23.9 yrs)
Hometown
Loveland, OH
High School
Archbishop Moeller
Team Site Profile
Statistics
Athleticism
9
Size
9
Defense
9
Strength
7
Quickness
8
Leadership
7
Jump Shot
7
NBA Ready
6
Rebounding
8
Potential
9
Post Skills
6
Intangibles
8

NBA Comparison: Jarrett Allen

Strengths: Blessed with tremendous size and length, Jaxson Hayes’ physical tools are probably some of the most obvious traits that jump off the page when projecting him for the next level … Standing 6’11” and sporting a 7’4” wingspan with massive hands and a frame that should easily be able to build from his current 220 pound weight … Hayes also pairs this with fluid athleticism and end to end speed … At Texas this length and athleticism allowed him to protect the rim at an elite level … While only playing 23.3 minutes per contest, Jaxson blocked 2.2 shots per game (3.77 per 40 minutes) and altered a significant amount of potential shots, something that doesn’t show up in the stat column … These physical traits should translate to the next level and make him a legit NBA rim protector … Hayes’ mobility also allows him to hedge well during pick and roll defense, and not be limited to a lane clogger on the defensive end …  His defense is probably his calling card at this point in his development, but Hayes has offensive appeal as a rim runner/lob target as well as a player with a track record of finishing around the rim … According to hoop-math.com, Hayes shot 86.7% on his shots around at the rim and 72.7% of his shots overall … His massive hands also make him a high level lob target who can grab just about everything in his vicinity … He’s also a pretty solid offensive rebounder (1.8 orpg) and can be respectable collecting misses … He certainly plays within his limits on offense, but a surprising 74% FT percentage and solid mechanics on his shot gives him some upside in the face up game … Jaxson is also the son of an NFL tight end, and knows what kind of dedication it takes to be a professional athlete, which also bodes well for his development as a player …

Weaknesses: While Hayes possesses a great frame, he’ll need to continue to not only add muscle to ready himself for the next level, but also work on his toughness … While flying though the air, and catching lobs using his finesse, he’s quite comfortable, but more physical players got under his skin and he often faded in effectiveness when being bodied up on both offense and defense … Gaining that edge may mean the difference of him being a serviceable NBA defender to one who excels … Like many young big men, Hayes is also foul prone … The game is still a little fast for him, and hopefully as he develops he’ll be able to cut back on ticky tack fouls … He’s not a particularly good passer either, and only tallied 9 assists all season for the Longhorns … Because he’s likely far away both skill and body wise from being a NBA contributor, a team is taking the risk that he doesn’t produce much offensively before his first contract is up …

Overall:  Jaxson Hayes projects as a player that will, at minimum, be able to protect the rim, rebound, and catch lobs on offense from day one … He’s still pretty early in his development, and may be prone to some mistakes early, and take some time to develop, but his upside is clearly there … His elite frame, and fluid athleticism could render him one of the better defensive bigs in the NBA one day with the proper development … Unlike a lot of raw bigs, he actually shoots the ball pretty well, and is already hitting free throws at 74% … This gives him some intrigue as a player who could potentially develop on both sides of the ball …

Notes:
A late bloomer. Averaged just 3 ppg and 5 ppg in his sophomore and junior years respectively of high school … Big 12 Freshman of the Year (2019) All-Big 12 Second Team (2019) Father, Jonathan, played 12 years in the NFL and is currently the tight ends coach for the Cincinnati Bengals.

David Ray 3/31/19

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