Los Angeles Lakers center Jaxson Hayes started the 2024-25 season out as the primary backup big to Anthony Davis, though he found himself in a much larger role after the Luka Doncic trade.
The Lakers shipped out Davis, Max Christie and a first-round pick to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Doncic, opening up a starting center spot. For a moment, it looked like Los Angeles addressed their need for frontcourt depth when they traded for Mark Williams, but it became a massive need again when they decided to rescind the trade with the Charlotte Hornets due to a failed physical.
Without another true big man on the roster, head coach JJ Redick elevated Hayes into the starting lineup and he would go on to have the best stretch of his Lakers career. Playing alongside Doncic unlocked Hayes’ full potential as a vertical lob threat who could put pressure on the rim. Doncic has always thrived in pick and roll situations involving athletic bigs like Hayes and the two developed a natural chemistry down the stretch of the regular season.
Although Hayes looked rejuvenated on the offensive end, his limitations as a true rim protector were exposed by teams and thus led to him being benched in favor of small-ball units. Hayes’ role was entirely diminished come the playoffs as the Minnesota Timberwolves made it nearly impossible to play him.
Redick opted to go with lineups featuring the likes of Rui Hachimura and LeBron James playing center, leaving Hayes to watch from the bench. The small-ball lineups didn’t work, though, as Minnesota bludgeoned them on the boards and controlled each game defensively.
Overall, Hayes had a solid year when asked to step up but didn’t get to contribute much in the postseason. In 56 regular season games (35 starts), he averaged 6.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 0.8 blocks while shooting 72.2% from the field on mostly dunks.
2024-25 Highlight
Revenge narratives are always a fun subplot in the regular season, so perhaps it was no surprise to see Hayes have his best game of the year against his former team the New Orleans Pelicans.
Doncic looked like an offensive maestro on the floor, and Hayes was often the recipient of easy looks thanks to his athleticism in the open floor. Hayes torched the Pelicans for a season-high 19 points to go along with 10 rebounds in just under 24 minutes of action on a perfect 8-for-8 from the floor.
2025-26 Outlook
Hayes is set to resume his backup role with the Lakers after re-signing with the team in free agency. Deandre Ayton should play the bulk of the minutes at center, but Hayes should be in the rotation during the regular season.
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