Why Nigel Hayes-Davis CAN carve out an immediate role with the Phoenix Suns

Why Nigel Hayes-Davis CAN carve out an immediate role with the Phoenix Suns

Nigel Hayes Davis is going to be an integral piece for the Phoenix Suns going into this season, but how can he go about getting to that point where he’s carving out a consistent niche for the team? That’s what we’re here to break down via one of the games that he had in his recent seasons overseas. So, let’s go ahead and dive into the film with me. Look at Nigel Hayes Davis and the ways in which he can go about getting to becoming an integral piece for the Suns in the 2025 2026 season. All right. Before we start with the film though, I briefly want to reference a quote from K from um the scout that we spoke to on our 3pm or that we spoke to in preparation for our 3pm show that has been watching a lot of Nigel Hayes Davis. And one of the things that he spoke to for me that stood out most was that and I quote, “I think Nigel Hayes I think Nigel can have a successful season in the NBA as a 3 and D player. He definitely has more potential than just that. But in terms of the role he’s likely to have with the Phoenix Suns and the skills that he will carry over or to the NBA, his three-point shooting and defensive impact stand out most to me.” End quote. I think those things are very important when speaking to what Nigel Hayes Davis can bring to the Suns. And that’s exactly what we’re diving into with the film for today’s uh film session. So, let’s go ahead and get to the film now. And we’re going to be starting at looking at things with him with a sequence. So, it’s going to start with him on the defensive end of the floor. He’s going to be on the ball and we’re going to be watching him do a good job of guarding a guard in space. And what we’re paying close attention to is his ability to just stay in front of the basketball, not being overzealous and trying to get a steal or doing anything miraculous. Just doing a solid job containing the basketball. This is Kendrick Nun for people that don’t know who Kendrick Nun is. Very explosive, very shifty guard, always downhill oriented, but loves to get to the pull-up. is a left-handed player though. So watch what Nigel Hayes Davis does with his body language. Gets to this spot right here and he’s standing a little bit more towards the left hand of Kendrick Nun so he can force him towards his weak hand, his right hand and kind of shrink some of the options that he has and ultimately kind of give himself a a little bit more opportunity to be successful with his defense. Does a good job getting the stop there. Runs out in transition. And this is where it starts to get fun because now we’re going to see him do a good job setting the screen here. flips the switch. And now watch him as he goes immediately from setting that screen into this post area of the floor. And if you lost track of him, we got the circle here for you. He’s right here setting up shop in the post. And watch how he ultimately creates some advantage as he gets the touch on the switch. gets the switch, gets him in the post, gets to the mid post, is patient on the catch, and these post ups are a point where he’s going to be able to be a pressure point for the Suns when he gets to the offensive end of the floor, maybe as much as at any other point in his offensive game for them. And I want to pay close attention to him picking up on the opposing center, where he is in relation to where he’s kind of getting into this probe or this crab dribble, if you will, does enough to engage that player’s attention. And immediately upon garnering that attention, it’s a quick dump off pass to the actual center on their roster in this lineup. And now it’s a mismatch to where nobody else can go up to contest that because he drew two job well done from Nigel Hayes Davis. And that’s points for his team. And then we get to clip two here. Paying a close attention against him this time on the offensive end of the floor. Doing a good job acknowledging mismatches and ultimately putting pressure on the team and making smart decisions from there. So, we’re picking up on him. This is a secondary break. They’re not at a break neck speed trying to create advantage in transition, per se, but it’s a secondary break. A little bit more control. You see the defense already trying to communicate to take away the switch that they’re already conceding early in the possession. You can see the player that’s guarding him, pointing the it’s too late to try to flip this switch. Let’s just stay solid. They do that. Obviously, Nigel Hayes Davis and his team figures out and notices that early in the clock. Setup shot for him with the post up. immediately gets the catch and you can already see him again, no different than the possession before this one, assessing the lay of the land on the catch, understanding where the defense is in relation to where his catch is, who it is that’s guarding him, and how he can manipulate matchups in his favor. So, you see the big in the paint, and you want to pay close attention to him because Nigel Hayes Davis has a good kind of beat on where he is in respect to where he is with the ball and where the rim ultimately is. And what you see is that this guy right here is trying to play to this shoulder of Nigel Hayes Davis so that when he tries to turn a corner to go to this gap, he can meet him with some resistance, potentially cut off the pass to this guy in the opposite dunker spot and just generally stagnate the flow of the mismatch to help this player that’s on the ball that’s in compromise right now. Now, he’s assessed all of these things. Nigel Hayes Davis has done so in real time. Now, watch what he does to counter all of that. quick span baseline beats the opposing center to the point where he can try to contest it. Soft kiss off the glass and that’s two points for him. Then this next one here again on the offensive end still paying close attention to what he’s doing and how he’s creating advantage. So you can’t see him at this moment because he’s in the bottom right corner where I’m talking to you. Hello. But you want to pay close attention to these two defenders that are on the weak side. I mentioned Nigel Hayes Davis is where I am at this moment in this corner right here. His matchup is here and you want to pay close attention to to this defender in particular right here. And then I take it away. So they’re getting into some strong side pick and roll over there going towards the middle third. You see the double team that takes place that’s putting three defenders in compromise as they have to try to guard four defenders on the perimeter outside of the ball. Quick pass. And now this is where it gets fun. You get a baseline drive and even before the baseline drive happens, you can see Nigel Hayes Davis creeping into the frame of the play. You get the kick. You already see him committing to what you see getting ready to develop here. And that’s the screen. This back screen right here on this player whose back is turned to these two players here. Seeing this is a trigger for him to go and create advantage. Unless they’re going to switch this. And even if they did switch this, that would then because his backers turn allow for Hayes Davis to go from trying to screen this guy on his back to just cutting to the basket and creating advantage. This is what coaches call the play outside of the play. They’re not running in action anymore. You’re playing off a read and you’re trying to find ways to create new advantage. You got a live drive going baseline. He sets this kind of pin in or flare screen if you will, back screen. Does just enough, not enough to get a foul call, but just enough to create separation for the shooter. The shooter gets to the corner and he’s going to ultimately knock down the three at an important moment in this game and then we get to the next one. Back to him on the defensive end of the floor. We’re going to pay close attention to him. Pick up on where he is right here. Keep your eye on him as you see action kind of develop. So they try to get into a little bit of a uphill dribble handoff. They do a good job blowing that up a little bit. Ultimately is going to get to the ball handler as Kendrick Nun yet again. Him and Nigel Hayes Davis meet again. They’re going to flip the switch off of the screen. Hayes Davis is now going to be tasked with guarding Kendrick Nun late in the shot clock one-on-one. And again, we talked about Nun being a a significant and honestly very athletic left-handed driver. He can go right, but his strong hand is his left. Nigel Hayes Davis relative to his body language. You see he’s forcing him to his right hand where he knows he has help. You see the center in the paint already loading up for the drive. And you see everybody else on that strong side where Hayes Davis is trying to influence him, ready to help him out there. Hayes Davis does his job funneling him directly towards where he knows his help is going to be but also staying attached to the hip getting up a solid rear view contest in tandem with the center being stepping up to give help as well. Emphatic block because Hayes Davis controls the tempo and the cadence of the drive. Job well done defensively at the point of attack on the switch. Major value that he can bring to the Suns going into this season. Next clip again on the defensive end of the floor. It’s gonna be more good defense from Hayes Davis. Again, we’re gonna wait till he gets involved in action. So, you see now you see the switch take place. Now, he’s again on Kendrick Nun. Want to pay close attention to the way that he switched, trying to keep him from getting to that left hand immediately at the point of attack. And now watch the rest of how the rest of this play develops for him on the defensive end of the floor. Good job being disciplined, not fouling, not reaching, not being overzealous, just doing enough knowing that he has help if he does his job funneling the ball handler to the pocket of the floor where they want him to operate from. Does a good job there all the way up until the point where he picks up his dribble, terminates the dribble. Now, what I would like to see him do here is stay attached to that left hip, knowing that Kendrick Nun is a left-handed shooter. He goes from funneling him to the right side of the floor, staying attached to his left hip to coming squared up. And once he gets squared up, he kind of gives him a little bit of a get out of jail for free card. And again, a crafty left-handed scoreer is going to always find ways to get back to their left hand. If you know, you know. You ever guarded a left-handed player, they’re great with this. Gives him that get out of jail for free card to get back to his left hand. He’s able to get up a hotly contested, very, very good contest on the shot, but he is able to get to it because he allows for him to get back to that left hand. I want to see him do a better job just keeping him there to that right hand and not letting him get back. get to the next one. This is him taking the shot and missing the shot. Now, you want to make sure you just keep your eye on him the whole way through this play as he gets back to the defensive end of the floor. And watch the urgency that he moves with, the angle that he takes, the pursuit angle, how he meets the ball earlier than the paint, is able to kind of control the pace a little bit, and then the way that he times up this block right here. Very, very impressive. First of all, I’m going to let it flow through you so you can see the decision- making and how he gets back into the play in real time and appreciate this play, the multiple efforts, the energy generating behaviors for what they truly are. That is a very very impressive probably like 90th percentile block and that’s something that will translate to the NBA level because it’s simply extra efforts and playing off of instinct with defense. And we get to the next clip on the offensive end again, we’re going to see him coming in to set the screen. Now, what we want to pay close attention to with him with the screen that he’s setting is what covers the defense is in and what he does to kind of counter it. Does a good job with the screen. So, it’s not always about picking on the mismatch with the ball and making that player make decisions. Sometimes it’s as simple as flipping a switch, someone getting a shot in a different type of matchup, a different type of mismatch. This is a guard going up against a opposing four for Nigel Hayes Davis’s team. What you want to watch with with Nigel H Davis though as we look back at him at the just below or just above the free throw line punishing switches by crashing the offensive glass. Talk about the Suns being a team that needs to compile as many of those unscripted points, add extra possessions, add a little bit more tempo or pace to their play. One of the best ways to do all of those things and check those boxes off, those margins if you will, is by punishing switches in ways unique pass just going directly at the mismatches. And this is one way to do it. Take the switch. Go and pursue the basketball on the shot that’s ultimately taking place. And now his teammate does have to he has to help him out a little bit here by catching the ball as he saves this. I don’t know how he didn’t catch this one, but that doesn’t take away the efforts that he puts and the pressure that he puts on the defense to punish them for the switches that they are conceded. Then we get to the next one. Same thing on the offensive end of the floor. They’re getting into a little bit of Iverson action. So you get the Iverson cut from one side or one side of the floor to the other. And then we’re going to be watching Hayes Davis as he peels in from setting that first screen from the Iverson cut to then getting into some side pick and roll. It’s going to be in an empty corner. And watch what happens as we see what covers the defense is in again. They’re switching. Does enough on the screen to induce the late switch. And because he does enough to induce the late switch, watch him as he trails into the play and how he takes advantage of the switch that ultimately did take place. So you see Kendrick Nun initially trying to force him and keep him away from comfortably getting real estate in the paint to then post up and take advantage of the size mismatch right here. Understanding that, watch how he does a good job being patient, not doing too much to commit a offensive foul, but ultimately setting up shop directly in the middle of the paint. and his teammates do a good job of finding him on time. And again, it’s not always about going directly at the mismatch to score. In Euro basketball especially, they do a they do a better job than in the NBA of making smaller players taking that attention and leveraging it into advantage outside of the the primary matchup or making those players make decisions and help. Obviously, it’s the former rather than the latter here. Takes two or three dribbles. Ultimately, you see, he gets quadruple teamed. The entire four of the five defenders on the floor are on him. Are you still going to throw up a shot because you have the mismatch, or are you going to take what they’re given and leverage that into shot quality for your teammates? He’s the IQ and he’s the field type of player that’s going to do the latter than the former. Look at the kick out. Look who’s available to even actually close out in a relevant manner to the shooter. At this point, it doesn’t matter. The shooter is only seeing the back iron in the bottom of the net. And that’s CJ McCollum’s brother there knocking down a timely three-pointer for his team. Then this next possession again to the offensive end of the floor, we’re gonna see him set a screen. He’s actually going to get the ball early, excuse me. He’s going to ultimately get into a dribble handoff. And that dribble handoff or inverted pick and roll, if you will, actually is going to be what induces the switch. And that’s the part that we want to look at because they’re putting Kendrick Nun like we talked about Nigel Hayes Davis defending against Kendrick Nun now on the other side of the floor. They’re putting him directly in action to take advantage of him in the paint. And we see Hayes Davis doing a good job. It’s not the most advantage creating pick and roll where you’re trying to get downhill and turn a corner. You just want to take the coverage that’s being conceded and flip the switch. They flip the switch. And then again, it’s not always about the direct advantage that comes from the player that’s trying to score on a person that’s in disadvantage. Rather, leveraging the attention that comes with that mismatch into an advantage for your team. Baseline drive attracts three and now there’s a fouron-ree outside of him having the ball and holding attention of three defenders. So, what do you do to compromise that? You can’t be a hero and make the direct play yourself, but your right pass, if it’s timed well and is on target to where it needs to go, can then create advantage for those around you. He simply just reverse pivots, kicks it back out on a spray pass, and then he allows for his teammates on the perimeter to play within their spacing, keep the defense in rotation, and it ultimately is going to lead to a close out on the backside that allows for his teammate to attack. And because the defense is scrambling, there’s not one defender that’s in the paint as far as the restricted area goes. That’s green real estate for the person with the ball and he’s athletic getting into the rim to finish. All right, there you have it. Nigel Hayes Davis, if he can consistently bring these qualities to the table, not as heavy on the scoring side, though we obviously are aware that he had major scoring outbursts on the international circuit. It’s more so about the things that he does consistently in the non-scoring department that I feel like he’s going to be able to carve out that niche that I spoke to in the introductory um to this film session. So, do you think Nigel Hayes Davis can get to that point where he’s a consistent and kind of close to main rotation, if not fully a main rotation piece for the Suns this upcoming season? Let us know in the comments below. Make sure you also go back and listen to our Friday afternoon 3 PM show where we do dove into the film, got quotes from a scout from overseas, uh my man Ken, and um just definitely uh check that out and get a get a better idea of understanding what it is that Nigel Hayes Davis is as a player, what he’s bringing to the fold for the Suns, and ultimately what it’s going to look like with him in the rotation for them. [Applause] [Music]

Nigel Hayes-Davis comes to the Phoenix Suns as a polished and experienced forward who can impact the game in a multitude of ways.

Of said ways, are his IQ and feel for the game that derive from having multiple methods of operation.

He’s a player that has averaged double figures, player multiple roles for teams, and has the “it” factor of being a part of winning situations.

Stephen PridGeon-Garner takes a look at a recent game of his that showcases qualities he can streamline into sustainable success with the Suns, and add value.

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