Jaxson Hayes has gone from unplayable as the lone usable center option for the Los Angeles Lakers in a playoff series to everyone begging to see more minutes from him. The shift in the attitude towards him is all of his own doing. The improvements from Hayes are undeniable.
Offensively, the Lakers backup center continues to do the job as well as it can be done. Hayes is active, moving, and constantly providing an outlet for the playmaking of Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, LeBron James, and others. Defensively is where the strides are noticeable.
Hayes is not a perfect defensive option at center by any means, but the mobility and activity levels do provide value. The foul trouble, which has often played him off the court in the past, has improved. That has been so evident that even JJ Redick was discussing it after the Lakers' recent 110-97 win against the New York Knicks on Sunday.
"We never really got there with the fouling and keeping his hands out of the action.," Redick told Raj Chipalu of Hayes' initial returns post-Doncic trade. "He's been much better this year. In terms of the verticality that you're talking about as the low man, he's the best guy we have on our team."
Jaxson Hayes keeps forcing the Lakers to involve him more and more
At an initial glance, Hayes' performance versus the Knicks on Sunday does not stand out as irreplaceable. Five points, four rebounds, and one steal does not scream standout contributor. That is where the box score can do a disservice to players.
For the aspects described by Redick, Hayes was valuable as always for the Lakers. It was another notch in the belt of being a reliable backup big man off the bench for Los Angeles.
Hayes finished the game as a +8 in the plus-minus category. The Lakers center has officially been eclipsed as the team leader in that department after the All-Star break. Marcus Smart now outpaces him at +95 to +83.
However, Hayes continues to be the leader in defensive rating during that same span. His mark of 99.7 is comfortably first in that category. A lot of that is owed to the improvements highlighted by his coach on that end.
Hayes has done an excellent job building trust with the coaching staff and the fanbase alike in 2025-26. Considering the other situation the Lakers have been forced to navigate at center, having their reliable backup big man has been nothing short of a saving grace.