Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic has a teammate angling to join the Slovenian national team. Jaxson Hayes, a veteran big man going into his seventh NBA season, is reportedly working on finding a way to become a naturalized player once he gets a passport.
“That's my guy, we're working on getting me a Slovenian passport right now so I can play with him next summer,” Hayes said via Iztok Franko of Diggin Basketball.
Hayes and the Lakers were in Las Vegas to take on the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday night. Shorthanded without Doncic, LeBron James, and a slew of players, L.A. got dominated by a final score of 121-94. Hayes was a bright spot in a starting role, scoring 12 points and 10 rebounds on 5-for-8 from the field. He also dished out four assists and recorded a steal.
Last season, Hayes' production increased after the Lakers acquired Luka Doncic in early February. He averaged 8.1 points and 5.3 rebounds post-trade in 21.4 minutes played per game, converting on a career-best 75.6% of his shot attempts. Most of those were set up by Doncic, who loves to have a lob threat to throw to in both the half-court and on fast breaks.
Clearly, Doncic and Hayes have established a connection in the short time they have been together. It will be interesting to see how that relationship grows in Doncic's first full season donning the purple and gold. Hayes can find his niche on the Lakers if he's playing alongside one of the top guys in the game, who makes his teammates around him better.
L.A. will wrap up its preseason schedule on Friday night against the Sacramento Kings at home. Currently, it has a 1-4 record before the finale.
The Lakers will tip off their regular season by hosting the Golden State Warriors and Minnesota Timberwolves on October 21 and 24, respectively. Whether or not LeBron will be suiting up is still up in the air, but Doncic and Hayes should have the opportunity to keep strengthening their bond when the games start counting.
