Only two weeks remain in the regular season for the Los Angeles Lakers. A team that was seen as one of the favorites in the Western Conference in preseason will continue to fight tooth and nail just to get to the playoffs.
Injuries took a toll on this team all throughout the season. But even with as many inconsistencies as they have had, there is every reason to believe the Lakers can still make a deep run in the playoffs. After their improbable run to the Western Conference Finals last year, nothing is completely off the table.
But in order to find themselves playing deep into May and June, there are a few key issues LA must address. These are three problems the Lakers absolutely must solve if they are to take home the Larry O'Brien trophy this season.
Give Hayes minutes against big teams
There has been a commonality in terms of the teams the Lakers have struggled against this season. They have clearly had the most trouble against teams who employ big frontcourts, with centers and big wings that play a very physical style.
That is why the Nuggets and Kings have been LA's biggest Achilles heel this year. The Lakers own a combined 0-7 record against those teams, largely due to the play of Nikola Jokic and Domantas Sabonis.
Anthony Davis is still an all-world player and has been enjoying one of the best, most consistent seasons of his career. But he continues to find matchup problems with physical centers that can wear him down. With that in mind, Head Coach Darvin Ham should consider countering by playing Jaxson Hayes in spurts against teams like Denver and Sacramento.
LA should not expect Hayes to come in and solve all their problems with the snap of a finger, but his presence should help simply for the fact he can take away from AD's heavy workload in those scenarios.