Amid their final stretch of regular-season games, the short-handed Los Angeles Lakers suffered a 127-117 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday. Without the presence of LeBron James, LA had no answer to Naz Reid and Anthony Edwards, who both piled up the points for Minnesota. Nonetheless, there was still a silver lining to the Lakers' night. Specifically speaking, Jaxson Hayes contributed well off the bench. The backup center was called to step up as Anthony Davis exited the game with an eye injury late in the first quarter.
Hayes tallied 19 points on an efficient 8-of-9 (88.9%) field goal percentage. The high-flying center also hauled down 10 rebounds to finish his night with a double-double. After the game, D'Angelo Russell made an offseason prediction that was nothing less of a compliment for his teammate.
“He's been amazing,” Russell said, in reference to Hayes. “He's gonna make a lot of money this summer…Kudos to him, he's been hanging in there all season.” (per Lakers Nation)
Jaxson Hayes can contribute when given the opportunity
This season, Hayes has been averaging 4.3 points and 3.0 rebounds per game for the Lakers. While these aren't head-turning numbers, it can be noted that the big man's minutes have been limited so far (16.3 minutes per game). In addition, the stats increase whenever Hayes is given a lot of playing time. Just look at two instances where he was on the floor for no less than 30 minutes each. During LA's February 27 win over the Memphis Grizzlies, Hayes put up 14 points and seven rebounds. Back on February 1, the center finished with a double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds in a win against the Lakers' longtime rivals, the Boston Celtics.
And even during games with constrained playing time, the numbers don't show Hayes' impact on the floor. To understand what Jaxson Hayes brings to the Lakers, one has to watch the games in order to witness the big man's energy and hustle.
The Lakers' last few games will be crucial
Going back to the topic of LA being shorthanded, the team will surely need more of Hayes' contributions moving forward. Besides an ill LeBron James and Anthony Davis' eye problem, the Lakers have yet to see the return of Jarred Vanderbilt and Gabe Vincent, both of whom are recovering from injuries. In addition, Christian Wood recently underwent arthroscopic surgery on his knee, prompting Darvin Ham to use Hayes as the team's go-to backup five.
As the playoffs loom ever closer, the sixth to 10th seeds in the West are all clustered up in a tight battle. The Lakers (45-34) sit in ninth place, sandwiched between the eighth-seeded Sacramento Kings (45-33) and the 10th-seeded Golden State Warriors (43-35). Ahead of the Kings are the New Orleans Pelicans and the Phoenix Suns (46-32 each).
LA has three games remaining…and two of those are duels against the Warriors and the Pelicans. In other words, the next seven days will be crucial in determining where the Lakers will stand once the postseason ensues.
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