Name: Jarvis Hayes
Position: SF
Height: 6?7?
Weight: 220
Birth Date: August 9, 1981 (28 years-old)
Birth Place: Atlanta, GA
Number: 22
College: University of Georgia
Drafted: 2003, 1st round, 10th overall by Washington
Experience: 6 seasons
Contract: $2.06 million in 2009-10
On offense:
Injuries and a lack of frontcourt depth thrusted Jarvis Hayes into a bigger role with the Nets than many were probably expecting last season, and it looks like that trend could continue headed into the first part of this coming season, as there are indications that Hayes could be the starting small forward, keeping the seat warm for Terrence Williams. It’s not that Hayes wasn’t a solid player for the Nets last season, it’s just that there’s nothing in his career numbers that indicates he should be a starter.
Hayes is primarily a jump shooter, and a somewhat efficient one at that. He had career highs in field goal (.445) and three-point percentage (.385) last year. About 83 percent of all of his shots last season were jumpers, good for an effective Field goal percentage of .502. He wasn’t shy about shooting the three-ball either. More than 40 percent of Hayes’ total field goal attempts (577) were threes (244). Hayes had a True Shooting percentage, which accounts for free throws and three-pointers, of 53.7, also a career high. With age, Hayes appears to becoming a more effective shooter, as his TS percentage has increased every year since his rookie season. Last season, his TS was higher than such notable SFs as Carmelo Anthony, Josh Howard, Peja Stojakovich and Rudy Gay.
During the season, Hayes seemed to compliment the rest of the Nets starting rotation. According to 82games, a rotation of Harris-Carter-Hayes-Yi-Lopez, basically the starting five with Hayes at SF, had a winning percentage of 62.5 percent and a +/- of +23.
Still, there’s not a whole lot of data that suggests that Hayes is a starting caliber player. ESPN’s John Hollinger said of Hayes before last season, “he shouldn’t be playing more than 10 minutes a night on a decent team.” Hayes’ Player Efficient Rating of 10.85, is well below the “average” of 15. His Value Added, the estimated number of points a player adds to a season’s total above what a “replacement player” could add, was a paltry, 9.5, could for 47th out of 60 small forwards who logged at least 500 minutes last season. Bobby Simmons, another veteran on the Nets who can play SF, had a better TS percentage, PER and VA than Hayes last season, so it’s not like Jarvis had a head-and-shoulders better season than the rest of his frontcourt mates in 2008-09.
He’s not a prolific passer either. His assist ratio, the percentage of a player’s possessions that ends in an assist, was 7.7, good for 55th out of 60 qualifying SFs.
On defense:
Opinions on Hayes’ defensive skills range from both ends of the spectrum. Nets officials have referred to Hayes as being one of their better perimeter defenders, and Draft Express describes him as a “solid defender who has average lateral quickness and strength.” Hollinger, on the other hand, describes Hayes as having “defensive shortcomings.”
Looking at statistics, there are both positive and negative indicators for Hayes. To his credit, the Nets defense last season gave up 109.3 points per 100 possessions with Hayes on the court and 114.9 points with him off the court. Teams had an eFG of 49.1 percent with Hayes on the court and 52.5 percent off the court.
As for negative signs, opposing SFs had an eFG of .535 percent last season against Hayes, good for a PER of 17.5. When you take into account Hayes’ PER as a SF of 11.0, that’s a differential of -5.3, which again brings the discussion back to the idea of whether or not Hayes is qualified to be a starter in this league.
Miscellaneous:
With Vince Carter now on the Orlando Magic, Jarvis Hayes has emerged as a veteran leader on this Nets team. He organized an “open practice” at the beginning of September to get players in the gym, playing together early: “Chemistry is the most underrated aspect in basketball,” Hayes told the Star-Ledger in September. “The more we get along with each other and know each other’s nuances and games, playing together will be a lot easier than if we get out there the first time and try to do it in training camp.”
Comment:
Hayes has a great presence on this team and I think was one of Rod Thorn’s better pickups last season as he’ll fit in well again this year. However, he’s a complimentary piece and a one-dimensional offensive player who plays so-so defense. If Terrence Williams shows he can contribute very early on in the season, Hayes needs to be back on the bench.
Jarvis talks about his Rolls Royce:
More on Jarvis Hayes:
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