Originally Posted by
Pelicanidae
Key moments:
[Talking about how the Pelicans have 30 televised games this year, and they won't be trapped in that situation where guys are playing great but nobody is seeing it, and how that's a huge opportunity.]
Hart: ''Most definitely, and I think the biggest example of that is Jrue, and I kinda wanna get away from saying he's the most underrated player because I don't want that to be the label that he has, but someone like that who's an amazing player on both sides of the court and can impact the game in every which way, he's going to be able to have so much more exposure. So with that many more people watching the NBA and love the game of basketball can see him more and see how well he plays and how good he is and how good he is for our organisation, so I'm excited. I'm excited for Jrue, for this team in general, 'Zo, Zion, BI, you know, just go down the list.''
[Talking about playing with a chip on your shoulder from being ranked lower than other prospects coming out of high school, and how much that matters to them.]
Jax: ''You know who John Lucas is? Well his son, Jai Lucas, is one of our coaches at Texas [...] he was like top ten in the country when he was in high school, he was above James Harden, Blake Griffin, all them. So we always go back and look at that. [...] at that age, you think it matters. I always went to check the ESPN rankings after every game, I remember when I first saw my name on ESPN, I was so happy, but that stuff don't matter. It does not.''
[After Jax's first Summer League Game]
Hart: ''I had people calling me [''not just random people, like, centres in the league'' adds co-host Matt Hillman] telling me... yo... your man's gonna be good. It's funny because a couple of them were like, it wasn't even the highlights, you just have a really good feel for the game. Did you just always have that, or did you get it at Texas, or was it just gradual, taking pieces from each place?''
Jax: ''I feel like I've always kinda had it because, I mean, when I was younger, I was short. My freshman year, I played point guard, sophomore year I was a stretch three, my junior year was really my first year playing big. So, I feel like that definitely helped, so I've always kinda had that flow to my game, like I run like a guard, I jump like a guard, I go off one foot, so... yeah.''
Hart: ''Yeah, I think the first time I saw you work out, it was in Vegas, and me and you were in the same boat [chatter about when that actually was, whether Hillman was there, extra stuff], so I was talking to someone from the Pelicans cause I wanted to get some shots up and they were saying that the young guys were coming in cause they can't do stuff with the team. So I saw, like, Swin Cash, and she came in and we were chopping it up, but it's your feel for the game, just kinda how you moved because it's kind of crazy. Just seeing how big you are, but how well you move for a big, and your touch around the rim, and your ability to just 'get' the ball, which is really good.''
[Matt asks about the offense, how Jaxson thinks he will fit in with it, mentions that Josh said that it was going to be extremely funny because ''they just play'']
Jax: ''I just love the flow of the game, the NBA game. The court feels so much more spaced out, and people move now. They push the ball, which helps me, because I'm a big who can move so I love to just run the floor, so obviously that helps me a lot.''
Hart: ''It's funny because obviously Zo, BI, you, Zion, we have so many young pieces and I think one of games I watched, I wasn't there, in Summer League, and David Griffin was talking about how it was going to be a really good year for guys to learn and grow because there wasn't going to be a crazy amount of expectation, and even Zion, nobody's putting that much pressure on him now because we want you guys to be good in the future [as the main focus]. Obviously we wanna win now and compete but we want you guys to learn the game and stuff so yeah, it was funny because in the interview he was talking about how 'oh, Jaxson might play some but we really don't know but his Summer League has been so good, you know, he's really kinda making it difficult to just kinda do that', and so yeah, I feel like the NBA is going to be really good for you.
So, you know, AG [Alvin Gentry] just wants to push the pace and run run run, he'll say a couple words but the one you hear most often is run, but with having Jrue because obviously you know Jrue is an amazing guard, but had AD for what, six or seven years [it was six] but you two have similarities in terms of being long, lanky, athletic bigs who can move, where you can just throw the ball up [for an oop], score out of the pick and roll, finish well, so you have that. And then you add Zo into it, who, you know people are gonna realise, he'll just throw it. And he's not scared to get turnovers, that's part of why his IQ, his court vision, is so good because he'll just throw it [when he sees the opening]. So you've two really good, gifted passers, like I said, Jrue played with AD so obviously he knows how to play like that, and then you have Zo who just loves to push the pace, and to just run, so I think you're one of the guys who is going to benefit the most from having Jrue and Zo on the team, because of how you play and how well that goes together.''
[The final ten rapid fire style questions that Hart asks everyone: the LightHarted 10. Here's Jax's answers.]
Biggest pet peeve: Groupies and fake people.
Biggest fear: Clowns and birds. [This is a dude with a Sideshow Bob chain who plays for the Pelicans.]
Favourite cartoon growing up: Phineas and Ferb
Childhood celebrity crush: Megan Fox
Which Superhero would you wanna be/which superpower would you want: Superman, because he has basically all the powers, and flying, because you could kinda use it in basketball surreptitiously.
If you could switch lives with anyone for a day, who?: ''Lowkey, Bill Gates, because he has infinite bread'', which is an amazing phrase I have never written before.
What profession other than basketball would you like to attempt?: Real estate.
Who would play you in a Jaxson Hayes movie?: Michael B Jordan on stilts.
What is the title of the current chapter of your life?: The Beginning.
If Heaven exists, what do you want God to say when you arrive?: Welcome, we've been expecting you.
Random facts from the pod without exact quotation because it's not a big enough deal to transcribe but is still interesting:
- Hart has hired a personal chef for the first time, because he loves the food in New Orleans but doesn't trust himself to stay in shape if that's all he's eating.
- Hart has making the playoffs and being an above .500 team as his primary goals for the team this year. Personal goals are basically just being a two way player, getting his shooting back to where it should be, and improving as a playmaker.
- More than just being a receiver in high school, Hayes also played at the state level for an Ohio team in lacrosse. He says that lacrosse taught him a lot of basketball skills, because many of the sets are fairly similar, and the use of cutting and screening is fairly similar too. Also says it added to his hand eye co-ordination.
- Hayes just bought a 2020 Escalade, and was practically begging Hart not to popcorn it. He said he bought an Escalade because the roads in New Orleans are bad, and it floods a lot. Hart agreed, and said that's why he's switching his Porsche for a Range Rover.
Good pod.