The Los Angeles Lakers have managed to win games as of late despite their front court depth thin with players like Jaxson Hayes still sidelined.
Hayes has dealt with ankle injuries throughout the 2024-25 season, missing six games after spraining it the first time and missing more than 10 games since hurting it again.
Head coach JJ Redick previously said the focus for Hayes is to strengthen his ankle, though didn’t have a clear timeline on when the big man will be able to return to the lineup. However, after a recent practice Redick noted that Hayes was back to practicing and that he is now considered day-to-day, listed as questionable for Saturday’s game against the Sacramento Kings.
“Jaxson Hayes was a participant in practice today for portions but didn’t do any of the contact stuff and I would just describe him as day-to-day,” Redick said.
Moving on to the non-contact portion of practice is a positive sign that Hayes is recovering well from his sprain, though the day-to-day listing means that it could take a few more practices before he is able to return. Still, this is good news overall as Redick described what he was able to do in practice.
“Good. His work primary focused on the defensive and offensive breakdowns and he looked good, moved well. So excited whenever it is to have him back in the lineup.”
Whenever Hayes does come back, it would be a huge lift for Los Angeles as they’ve been forced to play more small ball recently. While Redick praised Christian Koloko for the work he has done filling in for Hayes, the head coach also explained what they have missed since the latter has been out.
“I think offensively for us, just the rim running, the pace with which he’s able to get from one action to the next as a big,” Redick said. “He’s really good in the halfcourt at screening, rolling, getting back to a second action. I think him and DLo with some of the lob stuff. He puts pressure on the rim as a roller. And then defensively, he had his best stretch for us prior to being injured. He had a four or five-game stretch where he was great on both ends. And he was also crashing and getting offensive rebounds for us. So we’ve missed him.
“I thought Christian the other night in Golden State, his minutes were awesome. I felt that during the game, the film backed that up. Just being active at the rim, getting offensive rebounds, creating second-chance opportunities for us. Really good stuff from him.”
Redick also mentioned that there’s no update on Christian Wood or Jarred Vanderbilt, who have yet to play this season. Redick expects Hayes to be able to return before both of those two.
Getting Hayes back would give the Lakers another frontcourt look as either partner for Davis or the lone big on the floor. While he might not provide much offensively from a shooting standpoint, Hayes’ athleticism makes him a legitimate rim-running threat and someone who can space the floor vertically.
JJ Redick doesn’t like fit of two-big lineups with Anthony Davis and Christian Koloko or Jaxson Hayes
When Jaxson Hayes returns, he should return to his role as the primary backup center over Christian Koloko. JJ Redick isn’t a fan of the two-big lineups with Anthony Davis and either Hayes or Koloko, so the latter will likely be sent back down to the G League once the former comes back.
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