Jaxson Hayes is the next intriguing big man to come out of the University of Texas, but something of a project at 6-foot-11 and just 220 pounds.
Hayes could add some youth to a Wizards frontcourt that is lacking in young bigs. He’s athletic, comfortable catching lobs in space, but seemed to have a noticeable disdain for physical play. Bangers seemed to frustrate him and he will need to get tougher to survive the grind of the NBA.
At this point, he’s a project big who can protect the rim, rebound a bit and has some limited offensive value as a rim runner. His offensive potential is interesting because he’s already fairly advances as a shooter, hitting 74 percent from the foul line as a freshman at Texas.
Defensively, his potential is immense. He averaged 2.2 blocks in just 23.3 minutes per game.
With patience and development, Hayes could be another Jarrett Allen in the making.