Nigel Hayes is a big bodied 4 built like Anthony Mason. He can handle some (not like Anthony Mason) and is really crafty around the basket.

He prefers to operate out of the mid and low post. Surprisingly, he's more than capable of moving his feet on the perimeter as Josh Hart couldn't really beat him off the dribble. I also like him as a pretty good playmaker. 

 

Hayes does play well below the rim and he gets a lot of his shots blocked or flat out misses. Scoring in traffic is going to be a challenge for him. As skilled and versatile as he is, he doesn't really push the ball in transition after he rebounds. He will shoot the jumper but if he's going to make it, he's going to have to vastly improve as a shooter. It sucks Wisconsin didn't put him in PNR. 

 

POSITIVES:

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Good mobility 

Big body

Skilled can handle

Crafty scorer 

Rebounds out of position 

Good play maker 

Moves his feet well on the perimeter 

 

AREAS OF CONCERN:

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Below the rim athlete 

Struggles to finish in traffic 

Can he shoot well enough from 3

Limited PNR actions

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 JAMES BARLOWE - MARCH 8, 2017