Wisconsin Basketball: Badgers Will Be Fine Without Nigel Hayes in 2016
By Jim Oxley
The Wisconsin basketball team will be fine next year if Nigel Hayes heads to the NBA
News broke Wednesday that Wisconsin basketball junior forward Nigel Hayes was declaring for the NBA Draft. While the Badgers will certainly miss Hayes in 2016, the team will be fine without him.
Now, Hayes could still be there next year, as he did not hire an agent and could still withdraw from the draft by May 25. Considering his current draft stock pits him as anywhere from the No. 49 overall prospect (per DraftExpress.com) to the No. 93 overall prospect (per ESPN’s Chad Ford), we still could see Hayes in Badgers red next season.
But if the junior decides to forgo his senior season, the Badgers will be fine in 2016.
Related Story: Nigel Hayes Declares for the NBA Draft
If Hayes leaves, he would be the only important piece from the 2015-16 team to do so this offseason, along with senior point guard Jordan Smith, who played just nine minutes last season over seven games.
Yes, the Badgers would miss Hayes’ team-leading 15.7 points and 3.0 assists per game as well as his 5.8 rebounds per game, but Wisconsin has other options to turn to.
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The Badgers will still return the other four starters from last year’s Sweet Sixteen team.
Bronson Koenig will return as a senior to lead the group from the point guard position after scoring a career high 13.1 points per game last season.
Zak Showalter and Vitto Brown will provide senior leadership as well, and each was growing into their roles on the team as the Badgers found their groove down the stretch of the 2015-16 season.
Ethan Happ looks to be the bread and butter of the Badgers offense moving forward, as the redshirt sophomore-to-be is coming off of a Big Ten Freshman of the Year season that saw him score 12.4 points per game and lead the Badgers with 7.9 rebounds per game.
Wisconsin has a great crop of young players looking to improve upon strong finishes to their season last year. Guys like Jordan Hill, Khalil Iverson, Charlie Thomas and Alex Illikainen were growing in their roles under Greg Gard, and hold plenty of potential for the future.
The Badgers will also get two players back next year who we didn’t get a chance to see this year – redshirt freshman-to-be Brevin Pritzl and Belgium forward Andy Van Vliet. Those two may have been the most exciting prospects for the Badgers heading into 2015-16, and will finally get the chance to play this season.
Sure, Wisconsin could use Nigel Hayes next year. He could be the difference-maker that helps this still-young team take it to the next level.
But the Badgers will be fine without him.
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When Sam Dekker left early for the NBA Draft last year, many lamented the decision. The Badgers moved on without him and returned to the Sweet Sixteen.
If Dekker was at Wisconsin would the Badgers have had a better season? Maybe…who knows?
Wisconsin could have ridden a Dekker-Hayes combo deep into the NCAA tournament.
Or maybe Dekker’s presence would have limited minutes and slowed the growth for young guys like Iverson and Thomas and stopped Brown from becoming a legitimate scoring option down the stretch of the 2015-16 season.
It’s really impossible to quantify exactly what one player leaving early does to a team.
Next: Opinion: Hayes Should Stay for One More Year
But in the case of the 2016-17 Wisconsin basketball team, the Badgers will be fine if Nigel Hayes chooses to pursue his NBA dream this season and leave the Badgers early.