With the Los Angeles Lakers trading away big man Anthony Davis for superstar guard Luka Doncic, center Jaxson Hayes’ role on the team increased greatly. Hayes moved into the starting lineup and has basically been the team’s sole reliable true big man since the deal.
He has also been a great partner for Doncic, who prefers working with a rim-running center like Hayes in the pick-and-roll. That was undoubtedly on display in the Lakers’ victory over the Phoenix Suns on Sunday afternoon as Hayes returned from injury to finish with 19 points and six rebounds.
The Lakers already don’t have a lot of size so being without Hayes for their recent four-game road trip, it was noticeable how much the team relies on him as they dropped all four contests. And Doncic made sure to speak on how important the big man is for both his own game, and the Lakers as a whole.
“You can see it. You can see the difference,” Doncic said after the win. “For me, it helps me a lot. But he helps the whole team. Just getting blocked shots, take rebounds, throw. He can do a lot of things, and we missed it for sure.”
Hardly anyone came into the season believing that Hayes would be a crucial component to a Lakers team trying to win a championship. But with Davis gone, the Lakers needed Hayes to step up and he has done that in a big way on both ends of the court.
While his numbers don’t always stand out, Hayes is the perfect example of a player understanding his role and playing within himself to the best of his ability. The vast majority of his points come on layups and dunks off passes from Doncic, LeBron James and Austin Reaves, but Hayes also does a great job setting screens and is an underrated passer, not to mention his communication and rim protection defensively.
With Doncic, James and Reaves controlling the offense, the job of the rest of the team is to be ready when those passes come their way and Hayes is always ready to throw down a lob or make that extra pass to an open shooter. His growth this season has been immense and is a huge reason why the Lakers have championship hopes in 2025.
Jaxson Hayes had an excellent game, but it was Luka Doncic who led the way for the Lakers with 33 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists in the win over the Suns. It was yet another big night for Doncic against Phoenix and some may feel like Doncic loves to play against the team that could have drafted him with the first overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft.
But Luka shut that idea down following the game, saying that he harbors no ill feelings towards the Suns for passing on him as it was a very long time ago.
