Jaylen Hoard relishes PAO-Maccabi rivalry, Nigel Hayes-Davis’ skill set

Jaylen Hoard talked about his adjustment to the EuroLeague and shared his excitement about the Panathinaikos-Maccabi matchup. The Frenchman praised the atmosphere at OAKA, referred to his relationship with Wenyen Gabriel and named the EuroLeague player he’s singled out so far.

There are 34 rounds in the EuroLeague regular season, and Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv played their ninth game last Tuesday when they lost to hosts Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens at OAKA (87-93).

The summary of the first quarter of Maccabi’s season is reflected in the Israeli side’s 3-6 record, which means there’s a lot of ground to make up for in the next 25 outings. Hence, before they see their playoff chances slip away, Maccabi must learn how to win close games. So far, 7 out of their 9 games have been decided by 7 points or less.

However, it’s not only that they’re lacking a satisfactory closure that would have done justice to their efforts. They have also lost all their five games on the road. Their 0-5 balance, shared only by ASVEL and Real Madrid, is the worst among EuroLeague teams. 

On the other hand, one must not forget that Maccabi also took two last-minute victories this season (against Anadolu Efes and Real Madrid), which somehow balanced things out.

“The losses that we had were pretty much close games,” Jaylen Hoard confirmed to BasketNews in Maccabi’s locker room at OAKA.

“I feel like as soon as we get our chemistry better and more games under our belt, I think we’re going to be fine,” he adds. 

His second season at Hapoel Tel Aviv allowed Hoard, 25, to confirm his place on the European basketball map. The French center more than doubled his scoring average, going from 7.2 to 16.7 points. He topped the Winner league in PIR per game (20.5) and went on to provide 12.6 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per night over 9 playoff games.

When the time came for him to debut on the bigger stage, Hoard delivered with 15 points and 4 rebounds against ASVEL. He doubled down on it with a streak of solid performances that culminated in the contests against Efes (18 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists) and Fenerbahce (20 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists).Hoard has probably turned into Maccabi’s most consistent player this season since he’s remained a contributor even on his off nights. At OAKA, he racked up 14 points, along with 5 boards and 2 steals in 35 minutes. Overall, he’s producing 13.0 points and 5.8 rebounds in 31 minutes of playing time. 

To say that Hoard has adjusted to the EuroLeague level is an understatement, as the former Portland Trail Blazers big man has already established himself as the team’s top scorer and rebounder. 

“It’s been good,” he commented on the EuroLeague.

“A lot of top-level competition. It’s been interesting to see my transition from the EuroCup to the EuroLeague, playing a lot of top-level guys, and see where I match up and learn every day. A lot of players are very skilled and experienced. It’s one of the toughest leagues in the world. It’s been challenging and fun,” he notes. 

In the loss to Panathinaikos, Maccabi allowed the Greens to score 56 points in the second half. Cedi Osman, Kendrick Nunn, and Mathias Lessort spearheaded the comeback, as the guests were leading 71-60 with 8 minutes left to play. 

Hoard thinks the EuroLeague champions made some big plays and hit crucial shots down the stretch. But there was something else that caught his attention.

“The atmosphere was amazing. They have a very energetic crowd,” he noticed.

“It was an intense game, and I was looking forward to playing it. Even though we lost, it was fun to play this game. Hopefully, I can play many more against those guys because the atmosphere was great.”

The French international wasn’t a part of last year’s playoff series that were full of tension, energy, and high stakes. But that doesn’t mean that he didn’t follow the exciting matchup that was decided in Game 5.

“It was an intense situation and a similar atmosphere. I watched it last year, and now, I’m playing in it. It’s amazing,” he observed. 

The former Wake Forest student had a tough matchup with Nigel Hayes-Davis during Maccabi’s Round 6 game in Istanbul. The veteran forward of the Turkish team scored 20 points in that game, leading his side to victory.

Hoard kind of gave him a taste of his own medicine by recording a new scoring high. Yet, Hayes-Davis is the player he’s singled out so far. 

“I like his game a lot,” he admitted.

“Playing against him was very interesting. I try to watch his game a lot and see what I can take from him because he’s a really good, pretty skilled player.”

At Maccabi, Hoard has teamed up with Wenyen Gabriel. The South Sudanese big man had to miss his team’s first 7 games with a knee injury. Even though he’s returned to the court, it’s evident that he will need some time to adjust to the team and to a new style of play. Hoard remembers that the two first played together in Portland during the 2019-20 season before going separate paths that eventually crossed again in Europe. 

“He’s been my brother ever since,” Hoard said of Gabriel.

“So, to have him on the team has been good for me. Now, he’s coming back from injury, but I think he’ll continue to help us play better and better as he gets more comfortable and more in-rhythm,” the EuroLeague newcomer concluded just when the media availability time was coming to an end.