Jaxson Hayes was an underrated part of the Los Angeles Lakers’ second-half success during the 2024-25 season as he stepped in to start at center after the team traded Anthony Davis away for Luka Doncic.
Hayes has always been heralded as one of the more athletic bigs in the NBA, and playing alongside Doncic unlocked more of the big man’s potential. While Hayes was eventually phased out of the rotation in the playoffs, it was still good to see him come back in free agency.
So far, Hayes has been solid in his minutes and was thrust into a starting role again against the L.A. Clippers due to Deandre Ayton’s knee contusion. Aside from his athleticism and rim running, Hayes has proven to be a good teammate as he stuck up for Luka Doncic after he got shoved by L.A. Clippers guard Kris Dunn.
Hayes picked up a technical foul for the scuffle and Doncic later said he would cover the fine. Hayes confirmed Doncic said he would cover it, but also explained why he stepped in to protect his teammate.
“Yeah, he said he got me. He definitely said he got me. I just didn’t like the way he shoved Luka, so I’m gonna do something about it,” Hayes said.
The center added that he feels the locker room is tight knit and would have done the same thing he did for Doncic.
“For sure. I feel a lot of camaraderie with this team and I feel like we’re all very together and we’re all really close. So I mean, we all want to protect each other,” Hayes said.
Chemistry on and off the floor is normally an indicator of a great team and so far Hayes has been a good example of that. He wasted no time defending Doncic, which goes to show that each guy on the team has each other’s backs.
While the overall team defense needs to be better, the Lakers are looking more and more like a serious contender in the Western Conference. The camaraderie amongst the group is great to see, so hopefully that will translate into more wins the rest of the way.
Jaxson Hayes explains why he returned to Lakers in free agency
Jaxson Hayes could have signed elsewhere but decided to remain in Los Angeles. At Media Day, Hayes explained he came back because the Lakers expressed an interest in bringing him back and wanting to play next to Luka Doncic.
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