Just when the Lakers reached full health, another injury occurred to one of their rotation players. Jaxson Hayes had to exit early during LA’s loss against Boston and was deemed doubtful to play in the team’s upcoming game against Orlando.
On Tuesday afternoon, the team downgraded him to out for the contest.
After Monday’s practice, Lakers head coach JJ Redick said Hayes was considered day-to-day
due to this ankle injury. So, while he’ll be unavailable for LA’s upcoming matchup, he isn’t automatically ruled out for the team’s other upcoming games.
Overall, Hayes has been relatively healthy this season. He’s only missed nine games so far this season.
His most recent injury was left hamstring tendinopathy, which caused him to miss three games in January. Since then, he’s played in 15 of the last 16 games for the purple and gold.
On the season, Hayes is averaging 6.8 points while shooting 77% from the field. He’s been an integral part of the rotation, providing LA with a lob threat and a good pick-and-roll partner for Luka Dončić to work with.
With Hayes out, the Lakers’ frontcourt depth shrinks dramatically. Redick will either have to rely on Maxi Kleber to slot into that backup role or use two-way big Drew Timme to take up those minutes.
Timme has had a handful of good games for the Los Angeles, helping the Lakers beat the Raptors on the road back in January.
Or, Redick can opt to play some more small-ball lineups and use Jarred Vanderbilt as his center.
Regardless, losing Hayes is a negative for the Lakers and something they’ll have to navigate while he’s out. There is no other player on LA’s roster that can give the Lakers the vertical spacing he provides.
LA has played only a handful of games with its full rotation, and while Hayes has a smaller role on this team, he will be needed for the Lakers to optimize their roster and maximize their chances to go on a run this season.
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.
