In the not-so-distant future, it will be Zion Williamson and Jaxson Hayes dominating NBA bigs
Watching the New Orleans Pelicans play, I can’t help but get goosebumps. Zion Williamson and Jaxson Hayes are the future of the NBA in terms of frontcourt dominance.
When you watch these two players play, it’s as if you’re at a fine dining restaurant. These two are top-of-the-line athletes that have through-the-roof ceilings. These two players have the potential to be allp-time greats at their position, and collectively as one of the more dominant frontcourts in recent history.
It’s crazy to think of how good these players can/will be (if they continue to develop) in three to four years.
More from Sir Charles In Charge
- Dillon Brooks proved his value to Houston Rockets in the 2023 FIBA World Cup
- NBA Trade Rumors: 1 Player from each team most likely to be traded in-season
- Golden State Warriors: Buy or sell Chris Paul being a day 1 starter
- Does Christian Wood make the Los Angeles Lakers a legit contender?
- NBA Power Rankings: Tiering all 30 projected starting point guards for 2023-24
Now with a healthy Zion, who missed the first 44 games of the year due to a knee ailment, the team can finally live out some of their pre-season expectations. In his NBA regular-season debut, against the San Antonio Spurs, Zion scored 22 points and added 11 rebounds. He was perfect from beyond the arc, shooting 4-4. He also scored 17-straight points in the fourth quarter in a stunning debut.
Even though the Pelicans would go on to lose the game, Zion proved to the naysayers that, even with some injury rust that he still needed to shake off, he was indeed the real deal and could be an effective player at the NBA level. He was only going to improve with every passing day.
On top of the talent of Zion, you have a 6-foot-11 center in Jaxson Hayes that is barely beginning to scratch the surface on that player he can be at the NBA level. He’s extremely athletic for his size and there’s really nothing on the floor he can’t do on the defensive side of the floor.
While he’s still very much a work in progress and extremely raw – Jaxson is averaging eight points and four rebounds per game in just 18 minutes per contest – there’s no denying the sheer potential that he carries every time he steps on the floor.
Zion will continue to record the headlines in New Orleans – he’s averaging 21 points and eight rebounds on nearly 60 percent shooting on the season – with Brandon Ingram also garnering some well deserved praise this season as well, but in the not-so-distant future there’s no question that Jaxson Hayes will join the limelight.
Together, they could create one of the league’s most dynamic frontcourt combos.