One of the major stories of the NBA offseason was Luka Doncic shedding weight.
JJ Redick’s exit interviews after the LA Lakers‘ NBA Playoff defeat warned the players to get into shape.
Luka Doncic took this personally, embarking on a stunning body transformation that saw him pictured on the cover of Men’s Health, and even earning the praise of legend Magic Johnson.
Every player has had their own individual journey in the offseason, and one of these was Jaxson Hayes.
Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty ImagesJaxson Hayes gained weight
Jaxson Hayes re-signed with the Lakers during the offseason to be the team’s backup center behind new signing Deandre Ayton.
Hayes had a nightmare in the NBA Playoffs when he was axed from the starting lineup and JJ Redick chose to play without a center, with poor results.
Now after being re-signed by the Lakers, Hayes has decided to take a new approach.
Hayes has revealed he deliberately chose to gain weight, as he believes it will benefit him on the court.
“Gained some weight this summer so they can use me in different ways,” he told Mike Trudell.
And speaking to ESPN LA, he had a little more to say to further explain his thinking, behind his decision to gain 20lb.
“I wanted to make sure I gained, like, whatever weight I gained, I wanted it to be healthy weight.
“I wanted to make sure my body still felt the same. I still moved the same. And so that was a big thing for us, and just making sure it was the right type of right type of weight and muscle gained.”
“And yeah, whenever I was just going through the process this summer, I was still playing and running a lot, and so I just felt the same. So I was like, ‘we can work with this.’”
Jaxson Hayes excited about the year ahead
The LA Lakers had a positive offseason, with Luka Doncic signing a contract extension in August too.
Hayes says he is excited about the journey ahead, adding: “I’m really excited just to get this full year going with the squad.
“Get everyone we have a little more chemistry now, added a few more pieces this off season. So I’m just really excited, just to get this full season going.”