Even if it had been his only basket and meaningful contribution Sunday vs. the Clippers, Jaxson Hayes still probably would’ve fielded questions about his resounding third-quarter slam over guard Reggie Jackson. As ESPN analyst Hubie Brown put it of the straight-to-SportsCenter dunk, “You would’ve loved to have 18,000 (fans) in (the Smoothie King Center reacting) to this.”
Highlights are nothing new though for Hayes, who in his first NBA Summer League game jumped over a Chicago defender to earn the No. 1 spot on ESPN’s “Top 10” that night. What’s been different lately for the 6-foot-11 center is that he’s progressing in lesser-discussed areas of the game, such as defensive rotations and rebounding.