The Lakers and their struggle to find a big man had been a never-ending story. Finally, the LA side seemed to have found their man. It’s the 24-year-old Jaxson Hayes. Yes, he has been around the team for a while. What did he do differently now? Well, he didn’t have a world-class facilitator at his disposal earlier. After the arrival of Luka Doncic, the team has unlocked a new threat. Moreover, the 7-ft tall center/power forward has brought about a cognitive shift in his game.

After missing out on the Lakers’ disastrous 4-game road trip, Hayes returned to the lineup, recovering from a right knee contusion. Luckily, he had LukaMagic by his side. The big man’s 29 minutes included plenty of screens, dunks off lobs, and rebounds. He finished the game with 19 points and 6 rebounds, only behind Luka and Austin Reaves’ offensive domination.

Speaking after the game, JJ Redick said, “Playing with Luka has been awesome for him.” Not only that, the 40-year-old detailed the growth in Jaxson Hayes’ game. He added, “It’s just like little stuff like that where he’s you know the stats are going up, but he’s being able to make one play after another and really think the game, that I think his biggest area of growth.” 

Above all, Redick implied that Hayes’s growth in the mental side of the game. “I think where his growth has been this year is just his cognitive load to go from one thing to the next … the mental bandwidth to do a number of different things on a possession,” said JJ. It highlighted nothing but the shift in the role of a big man. It’s not only about rim protection and collecting offensive rebounds anymore. 

While some bigs have already widened their scope with perimeter shooting, the rest of the bigs also have to bring in a more of cerebral approach to the game.

Jaxson Hayes opened up on his role with Luka Doncic

During the Anthony Davis era, Hayes was considered a backup option for AD. Moreover, he was also considered a downgrade in Davis’ absence, considering the offensive domination that he lacked. Nevertheless, the times have changed. The Lakers are not adamant about getting their points predominantly from the frontcourt. 

After the introduction of Luka Doncic, the offense is split between LeBron James and the Slovenian guard. Moreover, with James shifting more toward his cerebral game rather than frontcourt domination, we can say, LukaMagic leads the offense. Now what does the Lakers do exactly with the #5 spot? 

JJ Redick has also moved the big man into the cerebral approach where he dishes out odd dimes to the wide-open wings. Speaking of it, JJ added, “He got to the foul line, made himself available, Do (Finney-smith) gets the wide open, corner three. That kind of gives us the cushion to win the game.” 

Moreover, speaking of the influence of Luka Doncic, Hayes said, “That’s the best point guard in the league. So I trust he’s gonna find me every time I get open and my job is just to try to get him open as well. So, it’s like a relationship you both got to contribute something.” Well, that’s a wholesome thing to hear as a Lakers fan. 

Can this union make it big until Bron’s return? Let us know in the comments below.