“A lot of money this summer”: D’Angelo Russell weighs in on Jaxson Hayes’ player option after ‘dominating’ Wolves
Jaxson Hayes was one of the players who had a field day despite the LA Lakers' 127-117 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday. The Purple and Gold lost Anthony Davis to an eye injury early on, and Hayes took over the center duties.
Coming off the bench, the electric big had 19 points — his season-high in 33 minutes of action. Hayes also recorded 10 rebounds as LA tried their best to rally in Davis and LeBron James' absence. Despite the loss, his teammate D'Angelo Russell had words of praise for the center.
Speaking to the media in the aftermath of the game, Russell said that Hayes would rake in the moolah next season.
"He's (Jaxson Hayes) gonna make a lot of money this summer. ... whenever he gets just a little bit of time he dominates it, so kudos to him."
Hayes has been coach Darvin Ham's go-to big in the non-Davis minutes. With Christian Wood sidelined following arthroscopic surgery on his left knee, the responsibility to make a difference on both ends of the floor fell on the 23-year-old. In the minutes he has played, Hayes has shown his athleticism and game awareness to good measure.
This season, Jaxson Hayes is averaging 4.1 points and 2.9 rebounds — numbers that don't necessarily show his hustle on the field, but the Purple and Gold have greatly benefited from his efforts.
Will Jaxson Hayes start instead of Anthony Davis vs the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday?
After exiting the game with an eye injury, Anthony Davis' availability will be one of the major concerns for the Lakers.
They play the Golden State Warriors on Saturday, and the 10th-placed Warriors are one of the potential teams LA could face in the play-in. The Lakers need Davis, who has been a force for them this season.
He's averaging 24.7 points, 12.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.4 blocks in 64 appearances, shooting 55.5% from the field and 28.0% from beyond the arc. In his absence, Jaxson Hayes will be called upon.
At the time of writing, there's "optimism" that Davis will play against Golden State, but that remains to be seen until a final update comes in the next 24 hours. Until then, it's safe to assume that he's questionable, making Hayes the most obvious choice to replace Davis in the starting five.