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9 hours ago
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The Los Angeles Lakers are expected to contend for a championship every season. This campaign has been no different, of course, with a team that includes Luka Doncic, LeBron James and Austin Reaves.
But there's an unexpected 7-foot breakthrough star who is recently making the case that he could be the X-factor to the pursuit of an NBA title.
Almost out of nowhere, Jaxson Hayes has looked incredible. And if he keeps it up, the Lakers' chances definitely get a boost.
Hayes was always known to have talent. He was the No. 8 overall pick by the Atlanta Hawks in the 2019 NBA Draft out of Texas.
Now, though, Hayes seems to be realizing his potential in real time.
This is what his stats look like in his last four games, from least recent to most recent:
- 11 points, 3 rebounds, 4 blocks, 2 steals, 5-5 FG
- 21 points, 10 rebounds, 2 blocks, 2 steals, 9-11 FG
- 10 points, 8 rebounds, 5 blocks, 2-3 FG
- 19 points, 7 rebounds, 2 blocks, 8-8 FG
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The first was a three-point loss to the talented Detroit Pistons, but the next three have been wins.
The Lakers were missing center Deandre Ayton for the 21-point Hayes outburst, but Ayton has started the other games in this stretch.
Hayes simply has upped his game (with some help from shaky opposition to aid his cause).
The Lakers will never need either of their centers to be major creators. They have those with Doncic, James and Reaves.
They need their centers to dunk, rebound and protect the rim.
Lately, that's exactly what Hayes has been doing at an extremely high level. If it keeps up, the Lakers are looking at 48 minutes worth of impactful center play, something that didn't seem a given early in the season.
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