Following the failed trade for Mark Williams, the Los Angeles Lakers have no choice but to lean on Jaxson Hayes as their starting center for the foreseeable future.
The Lakers were desperate for a big man prior to the trade deadline and seemed to address their need after landing Williams in another blockbuster. However, his physical results reportedly turned up several medical flags that forced Los Angeles to rescind the deal.
Without Williams, Hayes was the lone big man on the roster until the team signed Alex Len and waived Christian Wood.
Although Len is now in tow as an option for head coach JJ Redick, Hayes is focused on playing his style of basketball and not paying attention to what he can’t control.
“Yeah, I’m not going to lie. My mindset hasn’t changed at all,” Hayes said about the possibility of the Lakers adding another center. “I got the same mentality as when we first traded for Luka [Doncic], and it was just going to be just me, like, know what I got to come in and do and about to take full advantage of this opportunity.”
It’s quite the opportunity for Hayes to play alongside superstars like LeBron James and Luka Doncic as they can find him for easy lobs and dunks on the floor. In fact, that was exactly the case in Doncic’s debut against the Utah Jazz as he connected with Hayes on some highlight-reel dunks.
Hayes is the archetype that Doncic like to play with as he’s at his best with a lob threat on pick and rolls. Hayes’ vertical spacing has been a key part of the team’s recent offensive surge and he’s only expected to get more opportunities to score playing alongside Doncic.
While Hayes’ improved play is a welcomed sight, Len should pry away some minutes by virtue of being a bigger center in the middle of the paint. Playoff basketball is often dictated by which team has more options at their disposal, so expect the Lakers to mix and match Hayes and Len depending on the matchup.
Jaxson Hayes says it was extremely fun to play with Luka Doncic
Luka Doncic looked like he was settling in when he made his Lakers debut, but he still was able to find teammates like Jaxson Hayes for easy shots. Afterwards, Hayes said it was extremely fun to play with Doncic.
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