‘Make a name for myself’: How the Lakers’ Jaxson Hayes shows his worth

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Lakers center Jaxson Hayes, speaking with reporters after practice Wednesday in El Segundo, said of his occasional frustration with officials, “I gotta remember they’re human too and gotta just focus on the game, focus on myself.” (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

The stakes here in early April for the Lakers are easy to see, the trophies that sit in owner Jeanie Buss’ window overlooking the practice courts a constant reminder of what the goals are for the team, particularly at a time when the talent on the roster looks formidable.

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But for a player like center Jaxson Hayes, there are other things at play, the free-agent-to-be in the most important role of his career on the best team for which he’s played.

“I just view it as opportunity to make a name for myself, an opportunity to go win some games and win a ring,” Hayes said after the Lakers held a rare practice Wednesday. “And I just look at it as I gotta come in locked in every day and just try to make the most out of every day, be the best version of myself.”

The best version of Hayes has been fully optimized with Luka Doncic now on the Lakers, the trade doing more than leaving Hayes as the lone option to lead the frontcourt with Anthony Davis off to Dallas. It also paired Hayes with Doncic, a maestro when it comes to playing with athletic centers who he can find space for lobs near the rim.

Hayes is averaging nearly 9.0 points per game while shooting 76.9% from the field with Doncic in the lineup. And even when Hayes is not scoring easy baskets, his rim-running has forced defenses to suck into the paint and create more open shots on the perimeter.

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“When teams do that, man, it’s either Luka’s gonna get a bucket or one of the shooters gonna get a bucket,” Hayes said.

Read more: Lakers hold off Rockets to score important home win amid playoff seeding race

It’s made him one of the most important Lakers, a player with a skill set the team can’t really replace when he’s not on the court. When he missed four games in early March, the Lakers lost all four.

“I’ve told him this a number of times over the last week or so,…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/article/name-myself-lakers-jaxson-hayes-212713191.html

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Publish date : 2025-04-02 21:27:00

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