The NBA Combine has arrived, and this year there is a lot of interest in the event for Badger basketball fans. Nigel Hayes is testing the NBA Draft waters and participating in the combine, but has the option to come back to school next year because he didn’t sign an agent.
Hayes has the opportunity to improve his stock with an impressive week at the combine in front of the NBA general managers, scouts, and coaches. The combine entails many drills, tests, and even scrimmages. Today, the first scrimmages took place, with Nigel Hayes being a participant.
Hayes started for “Team2,” along with other college standouts like Iowa State’s Georges Niang and Syracuse’s Michael Gbinije. Team2 lost to Team1, 90-86. Team1 had two former Big 10 players, Maryland’s Robert Carter and Purdue’s Caleb Swanigan.
Surely, you’re not interested in the results of the scrimmage other than Nigel Hayes and his performance, and what it may mean in terms of his future.
Hayes was a starter on his team, playing center, per NBA.com. He played 21 minutes, totaling 2 points, 3 assists, 0 rebounds, and was 0-2 from the field. His two points were the least among the starters on his team, but he also had the highest plus/minus number on the team with 5.
His performance wasn’t anything spectacular when looking at the numbers. Having 0 rebounds in 21 minutes is something the scouts will probably take notice of. It’s hard to tell whether his lack of production on the offensive end is because of the unfamiliarity of all the players playing together for the first time, or if it’s an inability to get open or make shots.
Official Physical/Testing Numbers:
Height – 6’6.25″
Weight – 245 lbs.
Wingspan – 7’3″
Lane Agility Time – 12.18 seconds
Three Quarter Sprint – 3.2 seconds
Hayes will be looked at as a tweener by NBA scouts with his height and average 3-point shooting efficiency, but his 7’3″ wingspan is a plus for his stock. His long wingspan negates his average height in some capacity. His lane agility time, which is a drill that tests player’s agility and lateral movement, was the third slowest time out of everyone tested at 12.18 per NBA.com. The three quarter sprint drill is exactly what it sounds like, basically the NBA’s version of the 40-yard dash. Hayes’s 3.2 seconds was tied for fourth among everyone who ran. It’s important to note that not everyone invited to the combine participated in the drills.
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Photo courtesy of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel