re: The case for keeping Jaxson Hayes

Jax reminds me of some edge rushers in football. The tall lean types drafted high that will flash with a big sack every other game, finish with about 5 or 6 sacks on the season, but can't consistently disrupt, run-stop, hold the edge, or drop/cover in space effectively. Always flashing potential, incrementally improving but hardly meeting their draft projection/vision.

Jax was initially drafted as a much-needed rim protector. There's more to that than just shot-blocking/altering shots. One tool is the hands-free chest-bump that every good defender uses to prevent an oponent's advancement/positioning. Watching highlights of Dyson & EJ recently, you can already see they have mastered the chest bump pre-NBA. In 3 years, in the NBA, I'm hard-pressed to recall Jax ever using the chest bump to force a driver to stop driving & pass the ball out.

But like you said, he has enormous potential and has marginally improved each season defensively and offensively but gives off the vibe like he'll be a late bloomer/end of second contract before he realizes his full 3&D rim protector expectations. Is he worth the wait?