3 Lakers who won't last the entire season in LA after early struggles

Jaxon Hayes

The center position has been a revolving door of sorts in recent years for the Los Angeles Lakers. Despite having one of the most dominant big men in the entire sport in Anthony Davis, the Lakers have been unable to figure out who to pair next to him long-term.

There is a long list of players who have played center for the Lakers since AD came to town and Jaxson Hayes is one of the newest on the list. Fans were very hopeful about Hayes, who was just a lottery pick in the 2019 NBA Draft and had potential as a rim-running center.

Unfortunately, that has not really translated for Hayes so far. It started before the season even began as the team brought in Christian Wood to bolster the room, which pushed Hayes down the pecking order. His playing time has been limited as a result and he has not been very inspiring in the time he has gotten.

Hayes is getting just 11.5 minutes per game and is averaging 3.5 points and 1.7 rebounds. His shot-blocking has been fine but is not as big of a presence as fans were hoping as he is averaging 0.5 blocks per game.

The young center is averaging 5.3 rebounds per 36 minutes this season, which is a far lower mark than it needs to be. There are 51 centers in the league who have played at least 180 minutes thus far this season. Hayes ranks dead last among those 51 in rebounds per 36 minutes.