JJ Redick Speaks To Jaxson Hayes' Importance To Lakers' Success

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It’s no secret that the Los Angeles Lakers are short on center depth after trading Anthony Davis for Luka Doncic and then having their deal for Mark Williams be rescinded.

That has left Jaxson Hayes as not only the starting center, but the only center head coach JJ Redick has been able to trust. Two-way players Christian Koloko and Trey Jemison have both gotten some minutes, as has veteran Alex Len, but for the most part the Lakers have gone small when Hayes is not on the floor.

Ahead of Monday’s game against the Houston Rockets, Redick spoke about the growth he’s seen from Hayes since taking on a bigger role and his importance to the Lakers’ success.

“I think just the commitment to trying to get better every day,” Redick said. “Ralik (Wise) has done a great job with him throughout the season. He’s very receptive in film, in his PD work, he’s very receptive to our coaching in front of the group and film. I think that the growth mentality that he’s had this year has been really awesome and I’ve told him this a number of times over the last week or so, he’s so important for us if we’re wanting to win at the highest level. He’s gotta be elite. And that’s not to put pressure on him because he has guys that can take that pressure off him. But we need him on the floor. We need him to stay out of foul trouble, we need him to lay off the referees. He’s gotta be locked in, and he’s been that. He’s been awesome for us.”

A good example of Hayes’ importance to this roster is when he missed a recent road trip due to a knee issue and the Lakers went 0-4 in his absence.

Hayes deserves a ton of credit for improving to the point where he is this essential for the Lakers’ success, but it also says a lot about their lack of depth behind him. There are certain playoff matchups that could be an issue for the undersized Lakers, especially if Hayes were to go down with another injury.

Considering they just built this roster on the fly, the Lakers will certainly address the center position in the offseason, when Hayes will be a free agent.

Jordan Goodwin contract details with Lakers

If the Lakers want either Christian Koloko or Trey Jemison to be postseason eligible, they would need to convert them to a standard contract. That’s what the organization recently did with Jordan Goodwin, who signed a deal that includes a partially-guaranteed team option for the 2025-26 season.

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