hayes was quietly productive for the rockets in his first season. he appeared in all 40 games after joining the team and averaged 13.4 minutes per game. hayes was one of the most efficient defensive players in the league, ranking 3rd among rookies in rebounds per 48 minutes (16.1) and 14th in steals per 48 minutes (2.33). he also had an fg% of 52.6%, good for 11th highest in the league among players with at least 100 field goals attempted. on june 13, 2006, the rockets decided to pick up the option year on his contract (which was worth $664,209), extending his stay with the rockets through the 2006–07 season. his first official nba start occurred november 4, 2006, against the dallas mavericks. fouling out after 17 minutes, he scored 2 points, and had 3 rebounds and 2 steals.