With training camp for the 2023-24 season just days away, the Los Angeles Lakers are preparing to hit the court for what could be an exciting and very successful season for them. They appear to have a stacked roster, and therefore an 18th NBA championship is a realistic goal for them once it’s all said and done next summer.
To accomplish that goal, a number of players will need to play up to their potential. Therefore, we have identified three goals for each Lakers player that, if attained, will help the team win it all.
Buy Lakers TicketsJaxson Hayes, an athletic 6-foot-11 big man the team signed in free agency in July, has the ability to shore up the center position, a position some feel is a relative weakness for it. These three goals could earn Hayes some significant playing time.
Protect the rim and anchor the Lakers' defense
After the All-Star break last season, the Lakers had the NBA’s fourth-best defensive rating. However, when Anthony Davis went to the bench, they went with a small lineup that was devoid of any beef or shot-blocking in the middle.
Hayes can give them the ability to continue to protect the rim when Davis is resting if he’s up to the task. Although he has a career average of 1.5 blocked shots per 36 minutes, there is a perception that for whatever reason, he hasn’t put it all together on the defensive end.
He will need to show lots of focus and intensity on a consistent basis at that end of the floor. That is something head coach Darvin Ham will surely demand of him, and Ham won’t hesitate to pull him from games if he doesn’t do so.
Run the floor -- hard and consistently
The Lakers are a fast-breaking team, and when their big men run the floor in their transition game, it makes everything easier for them on offense.
Hayes needs to sprint downcourt at the start of every offensive possession, especially if that possession starts with a defensive rebound (that he didn’t grab) or a live-ball turnover. Doing so would force opposing centers to run with him, which could tire them out later in the game, not to mention get him easy baskets.
This could be a useful strategy against prominent centers such as Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid. Hayes may not be able to guard them one-on-one, but he can make them expend energy chasing him downcourt.
Box out and rebound
Hayes is a lean 220 pounds, and while his career average of 8.6 rebounds per 36 minutes isn’t exactly bad, it still leaves room for improvement.
Rebounding, especially defensive rebounding, has been a concern for L.A. over the last couple of years. Anthony Davis and the aging LeBron James need help on the boards, and Hayes is one man who could provide that help.
As former Lakers head coach Pat Riley said back during the Showtime era, “No rebounds, no rings.”
