The Case For….Marquez Haynes

Leading up to next month’s draft, NBADraftBlog.com will be spending a lot of time looking at the lesser known names in the draft.  Yes, John Wall and the usual suspects will still be featured, but in the interest of casual draft fans who don’t want to spend a lot of time trying to catch up on the names they don’t know, I will try and do the work for them.  The Case For…. will try and break down the elements of each players game and try to find the right fit for them at the NBA level.  Today’s feature: Marquez Haynes, 6’3, 175 pound senior from University of Texas – Arlington (22.6 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 3.7 apg, .483 FG%, .409 3FG%).

The Good:  Haynes is an explosive scorer who attacks the rim well and finds his way to the basket from anywhere on the floor.  In one-on-one situations, he is very difficult to guard with a quick first step, better than average ball-handling skills, and the ability to go to left or right with equal strength.  Haynes has improved his perimeter shooting to the point where defenders will need to get out on him which them gives him the opportunity to go to his strength.  He goes to the basket hard and doesn’t shy from contact (248 FTA last season).  Defensively, Haynes is a good on-ball defender, moves his feet well and is able to force his man away from the lane.  He also is a good rebounder for his size.  In transition, he is good, but is much better with the ball in his hands as compared to filling a lane.

The Not-So-Good:  While Haynes is an improved perimeter shooter, he still needs to work on his consistency and range.  His size and body don’t help him much as he is not a true point guard.  He is undersized for an NBA 2 and hasn’t shown the point guard skills to be a reliable option at the professional level.  His numbers are impressive, but a lot of the damage was done against lesser competition – his games against Baylor and Michigan St last season were not some of his best outings – both teams were able to harass him into bad shots.  On defense, he has a tendency to go under screens, leaving his man open for an easy jumper.  In the Southland Conference he could get away with it – can’t do that in the NBA.

The Verdict:  There is a lot to like about Marquez Haynes.  He plays hard all game and he wants to win.  The problem is that he needs to either develop more as a true point guard, or he needs to become stronger to play as a combo guard.  I believe Haynes will be able to impress a front-office people pre-draft, enough that if he goes undrafted and chooses the NBDL route, teams are going to have him near the top of the list for call-ups next season.