One of the biggest news surrounding Laker nation this offseason was related to Anthony Davis. The team?s front office signed AD to a three-year/$186 million extension. This extension increases his tenure with the Los Angeles Lakers through the 2028 NBA season. And to make matters more interesting, the team has managed to add more firepower to help their star power forward on the floor.
Given his size, Anthony Davis is more than capable of playing the center position. Taking his defensive prowess into consideration, the option becomes much more viable. But since his preferences are not to play the five, a new addition by the Lakers offers a helpful message to AD and the rest of the team.
Anthony Davis gets more support on the floor
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Coming into the league, Anthony Davis has always played the power forward position. And he surely has flourished at four, both offensively and defensively. So, given how he does not prefer playing at the center position, the Lakers managed to sign Jaxson Hayes.
Jaxson Hayes is a seven-foot center who shared the court with Davis during his tenure with the New Orleans Pelicans. Now, the team has signed Hayes to a two-year/$4.6 million deal.
Recently, Hayes was asked about his views of being in the Lakers’ starting five, once again playing alongside his former teammate. The seven-foot center said, ?We?ve definitely talked about it with coaches and Rob.?
?I just wanna make sure I?m ready enough to be able to go out there and help the team. I think I will be. I love to play out there. Starting group, backup group, really just wanna go out and help the team win. Do whatever they want me to do.?
How will this new duo perform?
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Over the past season, there have been times when Anthony Davis had to take on the role of a center for the team. This surely put a lot of load on him, taking into consideration how injury prone he was.
Now if Jaxson Hayes gets added to the starting lineup, that would surely take some load off of Davis. Hayes, being seven feet, is more than capable of being a good defender in the post against other bigs.
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Moreover, he has the tendency to soar up high in order to jam down alley-oops from his teammates. So, let?s see how this new duo of center and power forward performs in the upcoming season.