While the New Orleans Pelicans' last outing was a bit of a mess, one bright spot to emerge was the play of rookie center Jaxson Hayes. With the massive amounts of hype surrounding Zion Williamson and the disappointment of his subsequent injury, it can be easy to forget that the Pelicans have not one, not two, but three first-round rookies on this year's squad, and Hayes showed Monday night that he can be special, too.
The eighth pick in the 2019 draft dropped 19 points off the bench on the Warriors on 9 of 11 shooting. That makes Hayes the first rookie in history to shoot over 80% from the field in his NBA debut while taking at least 11 shots, according to the Pelicans.
The former Texas Longhorn will need to work on his rebounding. He only recorded three boards in the game. But he says he will improve that part of his game.
"It's really just a mindset," Hayes said. "They just told me I need to get better at it. There's not much you can do about it as a coach. It's just more a thing as a player. I just really gotta crash the boards harder. That's all, really."
With starting center Derrick Favors dealing with right knee soreness, Hayes could see extended minutes in the immediate future. He says the recipe for success as he continues to get his first taste of the NBA is weeding out the distractions.
"They just always tell me to make sure I'm ready," Hayes said. "Keep the right mindset. You can't go and do... that type of good stuff with a clouded mindset. So I've just got to keep my mind clear and be ready."
As for what it will take for the Pelicans to finally grab that elusive first victory of the season, Hayes says his plan is to keep his head down and keep grinding.
"We just need to be more desperate," Hayes said. "The Warriors [Monday night] were more desperate than us. That's why they won. So we just need to go out and be more hungry."
The Pelicans are back in action tomorrow night hosting the Denver Nuggets.