By picking his player option with the Los Angeles Lakers for the 2024-25 season, Jaxson Hayes knew he needed to establish himself as a young center in the NBA to earn a bigger contract.
It does not get bigger than playing for the Lakers and he surprisingly found himself in a starting role in February after the team traded Anthony Davis. With the addition of Luka Doncic, Hayes’ offensive production skyrocketed by getting easy lob dunks.
Although his athleticism and dunks at the rim stand out, the 25-year-old particularly saw growth in his defensive play during the 2024-25 season and was pleased with that.
I feel like I grew a good amount in certain ways,” Hayes said in his exit interview when reflecting on his year. “On the defensive end, stepping up and showing that I can compete at that high level and not just be a backup for a team. I feel like I showed I can be out there playing more. Obviously there’s still a ton of things that I need to work on, but I felt pretty good throughout the season.”
Being athletic allowed the center to be acrobatic and block shots as a help defender. But he lacks the strength to match up with physical bigs and notably against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the postseason, Hayes was played off the floor.
Hayes is now heading into another offseason of uncertainty as he hits free agency once again. There is a fit there with the Lakers and a potential return could be in the works, although the playoffs showed that he is more suited as a backup than a starter.
Perhaps Hayes will continue to grow as a player as he is still just 25 years of age. But despite the strides he made in 2024-25, it appears Hayes will be headed towards another minimum contract.
Heading into the playoffs, the Lakers had lofty expectations to make a run with Luka Doncic and LeBron James. Despite plenty of roster concerns, media outlets believed they would get past the Timberwolves in the first round.
Unfortunately, Minnesota handled them in five games, creating a somber end to the Lakers’ season. Seeing how strong L.A. played in the second half of the season, a Western Conference Finals appearance felt inevitable.
Jaxson Hayes struggled to find his footing in the first-round series and found himself playing little to no minutes. With that, he shared a sentiment of disbelief once the Lakers’ season came to a shocking end in five games
