2019 NBA Draft: 5 reasons Jaxson Hayes should be first round pick

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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – NOVEMBER 23: Luke Maye #32 of the North Carolina Tar Heels stands on the court during his team’s game against the North Carolina Tar Heels during the 2018 Continental Tire Las Vegas Invitational basketball tournament at the Orleans Arena on November 23, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Sam Wasson/Getty Images) /

3. Rising above the competition

Much of the explanation for the lack of playing time for Hayes for a few of the regular season games lately was the fact that he got himself in foul trouble early. That hurt the Horns whenever a solid front court presence was needed. Hayes ran into foul trouble early in key games against the Purdue Boilermakers, Radford Highlanders, and Grand Canyon Antelopes.

That foul trouble for Hayes is mostly a result from being one of the few players down low for the Horns that challenges opposing bigs on defense. His production in blocks and rebounds came at a price for the Horns at times. But, this is an issue that can be worked out as he develops under a sound fundamental coach like Smart.

However, the times early in the regular season where Hayes stood out came in the Continental Tire Las Vegas Invitational against the Michigan State Spartans and North Carolina Tar Heels and the Dec. 9 win over Purdue. Despite the early foul trouble against Purdue, Hayes still had one of the best games of the season with 14 points, five rebounds, and three blocks.

A very promising sign from Hayes is that he rises to the occasion when he faces the best competition. You could argue that Purdue, UNC, and Michigan State are the definite three best opponents for the Horns so far. Hayes stepped up to lead his team to two of its biggest wins so far with those standout performances against Purdue and UNC.

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