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The Los Angeles Lakers made a move for the future with the decision to trade Anthony Davis for Luka Doncic, but it made their current tram significantly more unbalanced. The Lakers are better off in the long run with a superstar like Doncic running the show, but this deal, combined with the failed Mark Williams trade, leaves them without a solution at center for the rest of the season.
As of now, Jaxson Hayes is the starting center in Los Angeles and Christian Koloko should also see some minutes in the middle. However, LeBron James has wondered if Hayes is ready for that kind of responsibility, according to ESPN's Dave McMenamin.
“It's a major role for [Hayes], and one that James had privately wondered whether the 24-year-old Hayes was experienced enough to occupy in a playoff run next to Davis before Davis was traded, sources said. Without Davis, the responsibilities multiply,” McMenamin wrote.
Doncic, on the other hand, is fully on board with Hayes as the primary big man for the Lakers. The two had dinner together immediately after Doncic was traded to the Lakers and have thought about playing together for a long time. Hayes told McMenamin that the Mavericks constantly tried to trade for him during his time with the New Orleans Pelicans, but could never make it happen.
What can Jaxson Hayes bring to the Lakers?
What Jaxson Hayes looks like as a starting center on a playoff team remains to be seen, but he does have some qualities that will help him pair well with Luka Doncic and be a productive player on the inside for the Lakers.
Hayes can't space the floor from the perimeter on offense, but he is a vertical spacer who can be a dynamic roller as a lob threat. Doncic has had a lot of success playing with Dereck Lively and Daniel Gafford in Dallas, so Hayes could see some similar benefits as the screener in their two-man actions.
Hayes doesn't have the same great size that Lively and Gafford both have, so he won't be able to provide that level of rim protection on defense. However, his athleticism will allow him to be disruptive in passing lanes and on switches out on the perimeter against smaller ball handlers.
Hayes isn't a poor rebounder and he will play next to a pair of solid board-getters in Doncic and James, but this is still a much smaller Lakers front line than it was with Davis. As a result, bigger teams such as the Denver Nuggets have a chance to hurt the Lakers in that area in a playoff series. However, if Hayes can build pick-and-roll chemistry with Doncic and be a plus on the defensive end, Los Angeles will be very difficult to beat.
