Jaxson Hayes proposes old-school solution to modernizing Lakers defense

The Los Angeles Lakers are searching for a center who can complement Anthony Davis. The goal in that pursuit, which includes a perusal of the trade market, is to identify and acquire a player who can both accentuate Davis' strengths and alleviate a fair share of the interior burden he currently carries.

As the Lakers navigate the trade market and weigh the pros and cons of deals for the best available centers, one current player believes he can be the answer alongside Davis: Jaxson Hayes.

Hayes is entering his second season with the Lakers, having spent his first under former head coach Darvin Ham. He struggled to secure consistent playing time a season ago, but appears to be on pace to occupy the backup center role in new sideline general JJ Redick's rotation until a trade actually materializes.

In a recent interview with reporters, Hayes spoke about not only backing up Davis, but playing alongside him in bigger lineups that would harken back to the 2020 championship team.

“Obviously, whenever you get in the game with somebody like that that’s gonna bring more attention to them so that could open some stuff up for myself or for us to get another action with me and another guard. Stuff like that. So I love playing with AD. Honestly, for me, he’s normally the dunker so that’s somebody they don’t want to come help off which could get me a lob or something so I love playing with him."

Hayes continued:

“I feel like we've developed a really good big, lengthy squad for us that can play a lot of defense. We’re all big guys that like to play defense. That’s been our thing. That’s why the team brought us here. We happen to be able to breach out to other stuff but our focus is defense and we want to work on a group that's going to be good at defense. So I feel like that why we’ll be good with this group.”

It's an old school approach to the modern era of basketball, but there's reason to believe that Davis at the 4 with an athletic rim protector could work wonders for the Lakers.

Jaxson Hayes believes he and Anthony Davis can anchor Lakers' defense

It's an old-school philosophy, but there's a track record that supports Hayes' belief. In 2019-20, Davis played 60 percent of his minutes at power forward and 40 percent at center, while players such as Dwight Howard and JaVale McGee often occupied the 5-spot alongside him.

Davis played 60 percent of his minutes at center during the 2020 NBA Playoffs, but the depth at the position continued to prove invaluable.

Davis played 97 percent of his minutes at center in 2023-24. He earned All-NBA and All-Defense honors after averaging 24.7 points, 12.6 rebounds, 3.1 offensive boards, 3.5 assists, 2.3 blocks, and 1.2 steals per game while shooting 55.6 percent from the field.

For as effective as he was, Davis informed the Lakers in both 2023 and 2024 that he would like to spend less time playing center.

In 2024-25, Davis seems to want to return to a familiar formula that would see a high-quality center alleviate some of the burden that the 31-year-old carries. He'll likely continue to start at center, with Rui Hachimura, LeBron James, Austin Reaves, and D'Angelo Russell rounding out the starting lineup.

In saying that, having a center who can come in off the bench to not only spell Davis, but play alongside him would be of undeniable value—and Hayes believes he can fill that void.

Hayes, who stands at 7'0" and 220 pounds with a 7'3.5" wingspan, has the physical tools to protect the paint and thrive in rim-running situations on offense. He could also help Los Angeles improve upon its ranking of No. 30 in offensive rebounds in 2023-24 given his career average of 3.0 offensive boards per 36 minutes.

Comparing Hayes to Howard or McGee would be premature, but as the Lakers consider a return to the 2019-20 formula, the upside is undeniably compelling.

If Hayes taps into his potential, he could play a role that closely mirrors what Howard and McGee provided. With size, length, and athleticism at his disposal, he could support Davis' versatile defensive style of play by providing a reliable answer in the paint to limit the space he's forced to cover.

Hayes has thus far been unable to live up to the hype of being selected at No. 8 overall in the 2019 NBA Draft, but this old school approach could be the key to unlocking his potential.