Jaxson Hayes tried to hold down the Los Angeles Lakers‘ very weak center rotation during the second half of this season after Anthony Davis was sent away in the trade that landed Luka Doncic. But as time went on, his limitations seemingly became magnified.
While he had his moments of looking serviceable as a lob threat alongside Doncic, his inability to provide consistent rebounding and rim protection became more pronounced than ever. In the first round of the NBA playoffs versus the Minnesota Timberwolves, his playing time plunged, and he didn’t play a single second in Game 5 as the Lakers were eliminated.
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A recent report indicated that Hayes is unhappy about the reduction in his playing time and overall role, and that, as a result, he only has an “outside chance” of staying as a free agent this summer. But based on a social media post he made, he hasn’t ruled out remaining with the Purple and Gold.
If head coach JJ Redick has concluded that he simply cannot rely on Hayes to get the job done and fit into his preferred defensive scheme, then perhaps Hayes is as good as gone. But the Lakers could do worse than him when it comes to having an insurance big who can play limited minutes off the bench, ideally as a third-stringer.
During the regular season, the 25-year-old averaged 6.8 points, 4.8 rebounds and 0.9 blocks in 19.5 minutes a game.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Jaxson Hayes pushes back on rumors he wants to leave the Lakers