Nigel Hayes made the decision most believed was smart for him, returning to the University of Wisconsin for his senior season. However, that decision came down to the final days and it showed that Hayes’ desire to get paid for playing basketball is a huge motivation for him.
Going through the NBA Combine and draft process was certainly a learning experience for Hayes. He went in hoping for a first-round grade and came away basically begging teams to promise to take him in the draft.
His combine performance along with a declining shooting ability from the perimeter were all NBA teams needed to see that Hayes wasn’t ready for the professional ranks just yet.
All of that is well and good, but now that the process that Hayes wen through is over it is time to turn the attention towards his senior season and a Badgers team that features every single player in the rotation back.
The hype is already there, with some believing the Badgers are a sure-fire top 10 team:
16-17 Top 25: 1. Duke 2. Villanova 3. Kansas 4. Xavier 5. Kentucky 6. Wisconsin 7. Virginia 8. Oregon 9. UNC 10. Indiana 11. Louisville
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) May 26, 2016
That’s some serious company, and given the Badgers recent run of success and all the returning pieces to the puzzle it is hard not to believe UW is in a prime position to be really good again. However, the key to turning the hype and hoopla in to results may actually lie inside Hayes himself.
If the Badgers want to be a success it is on Hayes to turn the disappointment of the NBA draft process in to not only self-motivation but in to more leadership for the team he and Bronson Koenig will lead as seniors.
The good news on that front is that Hayes seems to have the right mindset now that the draft issue is behind him.
“I was never stressed about it,” Hayes said, via the Wisconsin State Journal. “But I’m sick of all the meetings and people keep pestering me, keep texting me and also ignorant fans and their options on what I should do. I’m tired of grown men emailing me their opinions on what I should do with my future. At least that part is done.”
Now Hayes needs to focus on finding an outside shot that left him after tweaking his overall shot this past offseason. Hayes went from hitting 39.6 percent of his three-point shots as a sophomore in 2014-15 to just 29.3 percent from deep this past season. The number is even worse inside the arc, as Hayes dropped his shooting percentage nearly 14 percent from 2014-15 to 2015-16.
It’s no wonder NBA teams see an issue in drafting him, but coming back certainly gives Hayes a chance to put those fears to rest.
Figuring that out and putting the NBA to the back of his mind could well lead to Wisconsin continuing to make waves in the regular season and postseason, but both are easier said than done and worth watching early on in the season.
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