Jaxson Hayes is maximizing his opportunities with the Lakers and turning it into a career year.
LOS ANGELES — While Luka Dončić and LeBron James shined brightest in the Lakers’ win over the Pelicans on Tuesday, their seventh in a row, someone else’s light has consistently flickered during this new era and deserves a spotlight.
The pair of Luka and LeBron may have combined for 64 points on the night, but Jaxson Hayes was lockstep with the pair when it came to standout performances. All 19 of his season-high points came in the opening two frames as he finished with a double-double, grabbing 10 rebounds as well.
With Anthony Davis gone, he’s started in every game. While that might’ve been a worrying proposition earlier this year, he’s stepped up in a big way, averaging 8.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and a team-high 1.3 blocks per game since being slotted into the starting lineup.
Hayes also has the third-best plus-minus during this winning streak at +117. Having Hayes as your intended starter before would’ve been laughable, but now the thought of benching him is out of the question.
He immediately began the game with lobs from LeBron and Luka. The LeBron-Hayes connection has been established for a couple of seasons now, but the Luka-Hayes tandem has just begun and these early results have been encouraging.
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