Jaxson Hayes was thrust into the role of starting center for the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night. Despite the tough 120-113 loss to the Denver Nuggets, the results of that experiment were actually incredibly promising. That has officially opened pandora's box of endless possibilities.
Deandre Ayton exited the game after only five minutes played against the Nuggets. The Lakers would later confirm it was a knee injury that forced his early departure from the matchup. In his absence, Los Angeles was forced to play their backup center for 27 minutes.
Make no mistake about it, though, Hayes gave the Lakers strong production during his extended opportunity on the court. The high-energy center finished the night with 19 points and five rebounds. Hayes regularly positioned himself well as an outlet option on offense.
There may have been some defensive shortcomings here and there, but on the whole, the Lakers got a great game out of their secondary center. It was the type of performance that would make any team think. A few more of these games during an Ayton injury absence, and the writing could be on the wall for who keeps that spot moving forward.
Jaxson Hayes could finally usurp Deandre Ayton as the Lakers' starting center
The Lakers were already lessening Ayton's minutes over the past few games. Not wanting to do the Clint Capela job has shrunk the former first overall pick in importance among the rotation.
Los Angeles has been better off for it too. Ayton (-47) has the worst plus-minus of any Laker since the All-Star break. Hayes has the best one on the team (+73), by contrast. Ayton also possesses the worst net rating (-12.4) of any player who has averaged at least 10 minutes per game since the break. Predictably, Hayes is the best in that category too, posting a mark of 30.0.
Simply put, the Lakers play better when Hayes is on the floor — not Ayton.
Marcus Smart tried to make the case for the efforts of his starting center after the latest loss. It felt unconvincing.
"He's been getting a lot of backlash for his effort and play. He understands it," Smart said. "I know it might not seem like it, but he does. ... It's just the way he's trying, it isn't working."
Smart sounded very sincere in his message. Even so, it does not change the results. Those say that Hayes has been the superior option at the center spot. When asked about his confidence levels in the backup big, JJ Redick believed he was ready to step up if Ayton was going to be out.
"Very confident," Redick told reporters of his feelings on Hayes. "I thought he was terrific tonight. He played basically 28 minutes and that was a lot for him. ... Jaxson, I definitely have confidence in him."
It is tough to know what the Lakers would face if they truly were bold enough to make the call on demoting Ayton to the bench and allowing Hayes to permanently reassume the starting spot. At the very least, Los Angeles may get a couple of games to feel it out. Redick can decide from there.