Jaxson Hayes has seen an uptick in minutes as of late and that’s been directly correlated to Deandre Ayton’s performance on the floor.
Even though the Los Angeles Lakers were able to rattle off three consecutive wins, Ayton often left much to be desired on both ends. After a strong start to the 2025-26 season, Ayton’s intensity and effort has waned which has led to head coach JJ Redick to lean more on Hayes.
Hayes often looks like the better option between the two centers as he has better chemistry with the stars and has a much higher motor. Against the Denver Nuggets, Hayes got another extended opportunity after Ayton was ruled out in the second half due to a knee injury.
Potentially losing Ayton for any time is a blow to the center rotation, but Redick expressed his confidence in Hayes to step in should he need to, via Spectrum SportsNet:
“Very confident. I thought he was terrific tonight. He played basically 28 minutes and that was a lot for him. I think not having Maxi tonight actually really hurt us, particularly with DA out. But Jaxson, I definitely have confidence in him.”
Redick has plenty of reasons to feel comfortable throwing Hayes in the starting lineup in place of Ayton as he’s essentially been closing games for Los Angeles. Hayes’ performance against Denver should give Redick even more confidence as he managed to score 19 points on 8-of-10 shooting to go along with five rebounds and two assists.
It’s unclear when or how Ayton hurt his knee, but it adds to the overall issue that the Lakers have been unable to stay healthy this season. Los Angeles had a clean injury report earlier this week, but Ayton’s newest issue muddies things in the short term.
Regardless of whether or not Hayes will need to start for Ayton, the Lakers don’t have much choice but to treat each game as a must-win. The Western Conference standings feature plenty of teams vying for a playoff spot, so the purple and gold need to start compiling wins against quality opponents.
JJ Redick praises Jaxson Hayes for growth as player
Re-signing Jaxson Hayes this past summer has proven to be a prudent move for the Lakers as the center is having his best regular season to date. JJ Redick has been highly complimentary of Hayes this year and he recently praised him for his growth as a player.
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