LOS ANGELES — When the Lakers traded Anthony Davis to the Dallas Mavericks as part of the three-team deal that brought Luka Doncic to Los Angeles, Jaxson Hayes expressed excitement about the opportunity he had in front of him.
Hayes, who was in the midst of his sixth NBA season after being the No. 8 pick in the 2019 draft, was stepping into the most significant role of his career as the Lakers’ starting center on the best team he had been a part of so far.
“I feel like I’m very prepared,” Hayes said in early February. “God’s blessed me with a bunch of talents and a bunch of abilities, and I’m fully ready to take full advantage of it.”
Initially, Hayes thrived, playing the best basketball of his young career.
The 7-foot, 220-pound big man averaged 9.3 points (78.2% shooting), 5.7 rebounds and 1.2 blocked shots in 24 games (23.6 minutes) as the Lakers’ starting center from Jan. 30 to March 27 – a period that included Davis being sidelined for a couple of games with an injury before being traded and Doncic and LeBron James being sidelined for stretches because of injury/injury management.
But as the regular season came to a close, Hayes’ playing time diminished even as he remained the team’s starting center.
Hayes averaged just 17 minutes over the final eight regular-season games he played in, recording 4.6 points (on 64% shooting) and 5 rebounds, as the Lakers relied even more on center-less lineups during season’s final stretch.
And his time on the court was reduced even more during the Lakers’ first-round playoff loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves: eight minutes played in Game 1; nine minutes in Games 2 and 3; and just four in Game 4 before being taken out of the starting lineup and receiving a DNP-CD (did not play – coach’s decision) in the Lakers’ season-ending Game 5 loss.
“They told me and were straight with me, just saying just to stay ready and they were going to try some other things out,” Hayes said of the coaching staff’s decision to lessen Hayes’ role in the playoff series during his end-of-season press conference. “That’s a coach’s decision, so I respect that.”
Hayes, 25, finished the series with more fouls (eight) than he did points (seven), and had just as many fouls as rebounds and shot attempts in 30 minutes, with bad habits popping back up at the worst time.
“I feel like I grew a good amount a certain ways just on the defensive end, stepping up and showing I can compete at the high level, and not just be a backup for a team,” Hayes said. “I feel like I showed I can be out there playing more. Obviously, there’s still a ton I need to work on. But I felt pretty good through the regular season.”
The Lakers have been open about their need for a big man – and probably more than one – dating to when they first acquired Doncic.
The Lakers made a deal with the Charlotte Hornets on Feb. 5 for 23-year-old center Mark Williams ahead of the trade deadline, agreeing to send out Dalton Knecht, Cam Reddish, their 2031 unprotected first-round draft pick and a 2030 first-round pick swap. But the trade was rescinded a few days later after Williams failed the team’s physical, leading to Hayes keeping the starting center role.
How Hayes factors into the Lakers’ plans to replenish their big man depth will be one of the key storylines to follow of the offseason, especially with the manner Hayes’ season ended and how his role diminished.
Hayes will become an unrestricted free agent after the two-year, $4.6 million contract he signed with the Lakers expires in late June.