as a starter in most of the rockets' games for the 2006–07 season, hayes was a significant contributor. the scope of his role on the team was limited to rebounding, defense, and acting as a decoy or setting screens on offense. the ball was very rarely in his hands on offense. nevertheless, he received praise from his coaches and appeared on the leaderboard for several statistics in the nba. he finished his second season in the nba 12th in rebounds per minute and 34th in rebounds per game.