Training camp for the 2025-26 NBA season is approaching, and while the Los Angeles Lakers may not have a legitimate championship-caliber roster, they do appear to have one that can do some real damage.

They have a number of players who seem to have upward potential, and if those players improve and fulfill their potential this season, perhaps the team can pleasantly surprise quite a few national pundits.

LeBron Wire is taking a look at the 14 players who are under standard contracts with the Lakers and giving three goals for each player. Here’s a look at Jaxson Hayes, who will be transitioning from being the Lakers’ starting center to serving in a backup role.

Box out and rebound at a high level

Rebounding has been a definite weakness for the Lakers for at least the last couple of seasons. Being a good or great rebounding team starts with a team’s big men, as they must put their bodies on opponents when every shot goes up and help provide as many possessions as possible.

Hayes is something of a popsicle stick as he stands seven feet tall and weighs 220 pounds, which deprives him of the ideal amount of strength and power to hold his own on the boards. But he does have a decent career average of 8.6 rebounds per 36 minutes, which shows some rudimentary ability to corral missed shots.

Los Angeles was 21st in overall rebounding percentage during the regular season, and this weakness was greatly exposed in their first-round playoff loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, when they were outrebounded by an average of 4.8 a game.

Protect the rim

Hayes may not be a great rebounder, but he does have the ability to be an impactful rim protector and shot-blocker. He has a lifetime average of 1.5 blocks per 36 minutes, and in 33 of his 56 games last season, he had at least one rejection while averaging 19.5 minutes a game.

Overall defense is perhaps L.A.’s biggest concern heading into the 2025-26 season, and it starts with the team’s big men. When Hayes is on the court, he needs to consistently bring a high level of energy, activity and aggression defensively and on the boards. Which brings us to our third goal for Hayes…

Consistently bring energy and effort

There are a good number of games where Hayes seems somewhat passive and inconspicuous. For every solid game he has, he has at least a couple where he only grabs a few rebounds and doesn’t make any real impact defensively.

But when he brings a high level of energy, he impacts games in a very positive way, and he tends to get rewarded on the offensive end, where he can be a lob threat and get easy buckets in transition.

Perhaps coming off the bench and not being relied on nearly as much as he was last season after the Luka Doncic trade will help Hayes in the sense that he can go all-out in shorter stints on the court. One has to figure that his playing time will go down at least somewhat, especially if veteran big man Maxi Kleber ends up contributing on both ends of the floor.