The Los Angeles Lakers have been skidding over the past week or so, as they have lost four of their past five games to fall to 11-8 on the season. The team was hoping that they’d be able to get some reinforcements soon, with one guy closing in on a return being center Jaxson Hayes. Instead, the team has been dealt a tough injury blow regarding Hayes.
Hayes has only played in one game since November 10th due to a right ankle sprain, and he ended up missing Los Angeles’ past two games after he aggravated that injury. It turns out he actually re-sprained the same ankle, which will force him to miss another two-to-three weeks as he attempts to get himself healthy again.
“Lakers center Jaxson Hayes suffered a re-sprain of his right ankle and will miss two to three weeks, sources tell me and Dave McMenamin,” Shams Charania of ESPN reported on Saturday morning.
Jaxson Hayes set to miss more time for Lakers
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This is a pretty tough blow for the Lakers, as their frontcourt will remain shorthanded for the next couple of weeks with Hayes missing more time. Jarred Vanderbilt, who is really more of a power forward than a center, hasn’t played yet this season in addition to Hayes’ absence, which has forced Christian Koloko into a bigger role off the bench as the team’s second center.
Hayes has been solid for Los Angeles when he’s been on the court this season, as he’s averaging 6.4 points and 4.5 rebounds per game on 72.2 percent shooting from the floor. Big man depth has always been a concern for this Lakers team, though, and with Hayes set to miss more time, they are going to be forced to piece together their frontcourt rotation again for however long he ends up missing.
Owen Crisafulli is a Senior Editor and NFL Lead at ClutchPoints, who also covers the NBA and MLB. He recently received his Masters in Business Administration from Nichols College. Previously, he obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Sport Management, ran his own website, and had bylines at FanSided and the Basketball Network.
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