<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-news-jaxson-hayes-playoff-benching-timberwolves');   ga('set', 'title', 'Jaxson Hayes breaks silence on playoff benching vs. Timberwolves');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_1488.jpeg"></figure><h1>Jaxson Hayes breaks silence on playoff benching vs. Timberwolves</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-05-01T00:30:44-07:00">May 1st, 12:30am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-05-01T08:38:26-07:00">May 1st, 8:38am</time><address><a>David Yapkowitz</a>David Yapkowitz is an NBA Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. He is a credentialed reporter based in Los Angeles who covers the NBA/WNBA, NCAA/NCAAW and boys/girls high school basketball.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Los Angeles Lakers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>LOS ANGELES – The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/lakers-news-fans-lose-it-brutal-game-5-elimination-loss-timberwolves">Los Angeles Lakers were eliminated</a> from the opening round of the NBA Playoffs following their 103-96 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 5. One of the biggest developments of the series was the reduced role for Lakers’ starting center Jaxson Hayes and <a href="https://x.com/Dave_Yapkowitz/status/1917754528956571771" rel="noopener">his ultimate benching</a> in Game 5.</p><p>Following the Lakers’ Game 5 loss to the Timberwolves, Jaxson Hayes spoke about his playoff benching and the team’s elimination, as well as what his conversations with head coach JJ Redick were like amid the decision.</p><p>“It just doesn’t feel real. I feel like we had a great team coming along. After the All-Star break I feel like we started really clicking a lot, it just doesn’t really feel real,” Hayes said. “They told me, they were up straight with me, and saying just to stay ready. That they were gonna try some other things out. That was the coach’s decision and you got to respect that always.”</p><p>The move to permanent small-ball began in throughout the series with Hayes’ minutes slowly decreasing with each game. During the Lakers’ Game 4 loss, he did not play the entire second half as Redick opted to go with Dorian Finney-Smith in the lineup.</p><p>Hayes’ played eight, nine and nine minutes respectively in Games 1-3, four minutes in Game 4, and none in Game 5. Maxi Kleber, who had not played for the Lakers since coming over in the Luka Doncic trade as he recovered from injury, surpassed Hayes in the rotation for Game 5.</p><p>During the regular season, Hayes was somewhat of a revelation for the Lakers especially after Anthony Davis was traded, decimating their already shaky frontcourt depth. Following the trade for Doncic, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/lakers-news-luka-doncic-jaxson-hayes-growth">Hayes developed strong chemistry with the Lakers’ new star</a> as a lob threat.</p><p>Prior to the playoffs, Hayes appeared in 56 games, including 35 starts, at a little over 19 minutes per game. He shook off an early season ankle injury and averaged 6.8 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.0 assists with splits of 72.2 percent shooting from the field and 62.2 percent shooting from the free-throw line.</p><p>Hayes will enter unrestricted free agency this coming offseason after playing two years with the Lakers, and he hasn’t quite yet thought about what the future might bring.</p><p>“I really haven’t been thinking about that at all. Just been focused on this playoff series and stuff,” Hayes said. “I haven’t even had time to process that yet, so we’ll see.”</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Jaxson Hayes breaks silence on playoff benching vs. Timberwolves

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-news-jj-redick-brutally-honest-trade-off-jaxson-hayes-benching');   ga('set', 'title', 'Lakers’ JJ Redick gets brutally honest on ‘trade-off’ that led to Jaxson Hayes benching');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/JJ-Redick-2.jpg"><figcaption>Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Lakers’ JJ Redick gets brutally honest on ‘trade-off’ that led to Jaxson Hayes benching</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-04-30T23:03:55-07:00">April 30th, 11:03pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-05-01T09:01:10-07:00">May 1st, 9:01am</time><address><a>Troy Finnegan</a>Troy Finnegan is a Senior Editor and College Sports Lead at ClutchPoints. He graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder in 2023 with a degree in journalism and minors in communications and sports media, as well as a critical sports studies certificate. He has had a passion for sports his entire life, and enjoys covering and writing about all sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Los Angeles Lakers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/lakers-news-fans-lose-it-brutal-game-5-elimination-loss-timberwolves">Los Angeles Lakers’ season is officially over</a> after a crushing 103-96 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves at home in Game 5 of the first round. Los Angeles was in each of the last four games late into the fourth quarter, but a lack of execution on offense doomed them in three of them and eventually led to their elimination.</p><p>One of the biggest storylines during the series was the Lakers’ decision to go with a small lineup for most of the series, putting starting center Jaxson Hayes on the bench. Hayes didn’t eclipse 10 minutes in each of the first four games and didn’t see any playing time in Game 5.</p><p>After the game, head coach JJ Redick <a href="https://x.com/ohnohedidnt24/status/1917808903099654559" rel="noopener">talked about the reason</a> that Hayes couldn’t get on the court.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">JJ:</p><p>"Play a center. We couldn't score. There's a trade-off to everything" <a href="https://t.co/sVcbOrKxOh">pic.twitter.com/sVcbOrKxOh</a></p><p>— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) <a href="https://twitter.com/ohnohedidnt24/status/1917808903099654559?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 1, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>“There’s always a trade-off,” Redick said. “We couldn’t score. So there’s a trade-off to everything.”</p><p>In hindsight, the decision to bench Jaxson Hayes backfired on Redick. The Lakers struggled to rebound throughout the series and especially in Game 5, where Wolves center <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/timberwolves-news-rudy-gobert-career-night-lakers">Rudy Gobert finished with a 27-point, 24-rebound double-double</a> to help send the Lakers home.</p><p>In the end, the Lakers were just too small and too shallow on the bench to compete with a Timberwolves team that has a lot of size and several quality bench players. Los Angeles consistently got tired at the end of games and gassed out down the stretch, causing a lot of missed shots and bad possessions on the offensive end in the closing minutes.</p><p>On the other end, the Timberwolves were quicker to loose balls and made more hustle plays to pull out the wins.</p><p>The Lakers now head into a murky offseason that will be <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/lakers-news-lebron-james-ducks-retirement-question-game-5-loss-i-dont-know">clouded by LeBron James retirement talk</a> until he makes a final decision one way or another. However, it’s clear that Redick and the rest of the decision makers for the Purple and Gold have a lot of work to do to round this roster around Luka Doncic and potentially James if they want to see a different result a year from now.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Lakers’ JJ Redick gets brutally honest on ‘trade-off’ that led to Jaxson Hayes benching

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-jaxson-hayes-drops-huge-luka-doncic-declaration-after-suns-clash');   ga('set', 'title', 'Lakers’ Jaxson Hayes drops huge Luka Doncic declaration after Suns clash');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/unnamed-1_3ad582.jpg"></figure><h1>Lakers’ Jaxson Hayes drops huge Luka Doncic declaration after Suns clash</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-03-16T19:27:22-07:00">March 16th, 7:27pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-03-17T12:57:34-07:00">March 17th, 12:57pm</time><address><a>Daniel Locke</a>Daniel Locke covers the New Orleans Pelicans and is an Associate Editor for ClutchPoints. He will graduate from Auburn University with a degree in Journalism in May. Daniel has covered Auburn Athletics for the entirety of his time as a student, focusing on football, men's basketball, and baseball.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Los Angeles Lakers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Los Angeles Lakers picked up a 107-96 win over the Phoenix Suns at home on Sunday afternoon, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/lakers-news-austin-reaves-eye-opening-take-on-playing-with-luka-doncic-after-win-vs-suns">snapping their four-game losing streak</a>. Lakers center Jaxson Hayes <a href="https://x.com/mcten/status/1901441716080824587" rel="noopener">praised star point guard</a> Luka Doncic after the game.</p><p>“Man, that’s the best point guard in the league, so I trust he’s going to find me every time I get open. My job is to get him open as well. It’s like a relationship; you’ve both got to contribute something,” Hayes said in a video posted to X, formerly Twitter, by ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.</p><p>Doncic led all scorers with 33 points, adding 11 rebounds, eight assists, and two steals while shooting 13-of-14 from the free-throw line. Hayes had a solid showing himself, recording 19 points, six rebounds, and three assists while shooting 8-of-10 from the field.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/lakers-news-jj-redick-luka-doncic-orders-with-lebron-james-out">Doncic has been a phenomenal addition</a> for the Lakers, particularly in the absence of LeBron James due to injury. The Lakers return to action on Monday when they host the San Antonio Spurs at 7:30 p.m. PT.</p><h2><b>Are the Lakers </b>figuring things out?</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/unnamed-2_34a1e9.jpg"><figcaption>Kirby Lee-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The Los Angeles Lakers have had a roller coaster of a season but are trending in the right direction. Lakers head coach JJ Redick thinks the team is on its way to <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/2025/03/16/lakers-end-losing-streak-lebron-james/82472446007/" rel="noopener">playing at the level it needs to</a> defensively.</p><p>“I think it starts there,” Redick said via USA Today. “I do believe we need to be whole for that to happen. Just the nature of our roster, it works when everybody’s out there, and I think that’s one thing.”</p><p>Dorian Finney-Smith, one of the Lakers’ best defenders, is confident the team will keep things going in the right direction.</p><p>“So we just got to continue to bring energy,” Redick said. “Luka, AR and, when LeBron get back, they going to have the ball in their hand most of the time. And we just got to be able to give energy, be the energy givers, make up shots and play defense.”</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Lakers’ Jaxson Hayes drops huge Luka Doncic declaration after Suns clash

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-news-when-will-rui-hachimura-jaxson-hayes-return-from-injuries');   ga('set', 'title', 'When will Lakers’ Rui Hachimura, Jaxson Hayes return from their injuries?');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/When-will-Rui-Hachimura-Jaxson-Hayes-return-from-their-injuries.jpg"></figure><h1>When will Lakers’ Rui Hachimura, Jaxson Hayes return from their injuries?</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-03-09T12:47:18-07:00">March 9th, 12:47pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-03-09T13:43:27-07:00">March 9th, 1:43pm</time><address><a>Malik Brown</a>Malik Brown is a multimedia reporter based in Atlanta who covers the Hawks and Dream for ClutchPoints. Malik has worked in entertainment and sports, and he specializes in the NBA and NFL.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Los Angeles Lakers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Los Angeles <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/lakers-news-lebron-james-set-to-miss-1-2-weeks-groin-injury">Lakers are dealing with a list of injuries</a> to some of their key players as they go down the stretch of the season, and many are looking for updates.</p><p>Rui Hachimura suffered a knee injury at the end of February during the third quarter of their game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. He went to the locker room after going up for a dunk and came down awkwardly. So far, Hachimura has missed five straight games, and head coach JJ Redick <a href="https://x.com/mcten/status/1898525434939081145" rel="noopener">offered an update</a> on his status via ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.</p><p>“JJ Redick says Rui Hachimura is in his return to play protocol, but LAL won’t have another update on the forward for about another week,” McMenamin wrote on X, formerly Twitter.</p><p>Jaxson Hayes is dealing with a right knee contusion, and he missed the game against the Celtics. Redick noted that he <a href="https://x.com/mcten/status/1898524913096413295" rel="noopener">doesn’t think his injury is anything serious</a>.</p><p>“He said that the Lakers have been monitoring swelling in Hayes’ knee but hopes the center will be back soon. Redick did not name the starter in Hayes’ place,” McMenamin wrote.</p><p>By the looks of it, it sounds like Hayes will be back before Hachimura, and hopefully they can come back at full strength.</p><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-news-lebron-james-invokes-2018-christmas-groin-pull-latest-injury-reaction">biggest injury for the Lakers right now is LeBron James</a>, who suffered a groin strain in their game against the Celtics and had to leave during the fourth quarter. Right now, it sounds like James <a href="https://x.com/ShamsCharania/status/1898772095259250693" rel="noopener">will be missing some time</a>, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.</p><p>“Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James is expected to miss at least 1-to-2 weeks with a groin strain, sources tell ESPN. James will wait for the groin injury to calm down over the next 24 hours and receive another evaluation,” Charania wrote on X.</p><p>With the numerous injuries to the team, it will be up to Luka Doncic to carry most of the load.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

When will Lakers’ Rui Hachimura, Jaxson Hayes return from their injuries?

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-news-la-jaxson-hayes-injury');   ga('set', 'title', 'Lakers hit with worrisome Jaxson Hayes injury update');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/IMG_1084.jpeg"></figure><h1>Lakers hit with worrisome Jaxson Hayes injury update</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-03-07T23:00:57-08:00">March 7th, 11:00pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-03-07T23:00:57-08:00">March 7th, 11:00pm</time><address><a>David Yapkowitz</a>David Yapkowitz is an NBA Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. He is a credentialed reporter based in Los Angeles who covers the NBA/WNBA, NCAA/NCAAW and boys/girls high school basketball.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Los Angeles Lakers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>When the Los Angeles <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/lakers-news-jeanie-buss-details-secretive-nature-luka-doncic-anthony-davis-trade">Lakers traded Anthony Davis for Luka Doncic</a>, while they were getting a franchise superstar, the prevailing thought was they still needed a starting caliber center. They thought they were getting one in Mark Williams, but that <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/hornets-news-charlotte-breaks-silence-mark-williams-lakers-trade-rescinded">trade with the Charlotte Hornets was rescinded</a> due to concerns over Williams’ health. However, the answer to the Lakers’ center conundrum might have been Jaxson Hayes all along, which is why his potential injury could be a major blow.</p><p>Jaxson Hayes appeared on the Lakers’ injury report <a href="https://x.com/Dave_Yapkowitz/status/1898204935336104103" rel="noopener">ahead of their huge showdown</a> on Saturday against the Boston Celtics. Hayes appeared to suffer the injury scare <a href="https://x.com/Dave_Yapkowitz/status/1897887976190808181" rel="noopener">late in overtime</a> during the Lakers’ win against the New York Knicks.</p><p>Hayes was fouled and hit the floor for a moment, before eventually getting up gingerly and sinking both free-throws to give the Lakers a 109-107 lead they would not relinquish. With the Lakers looking to continue their eight-game win streak against their rival Celtics, Hayes is officially listed as questionable with a right knee contusion.</p><p>If Hayes is unable to play against the Celtics, the Lakers are thin when it comes to frontcourt depth. Their best option off the bench, Trey Jemison, is on a two-way contract. Veteran big man Alex Len was signed for insurance, and is a spot minute player at best.</p><p>They could also opt to go small with someone like Jarred Vanderbilt moving into the starting lineup. Christian Koloko, who has shown flashes this season of being a capable rotation center, is currently in the G League with the South Bay Lakers as part of his two-way contract assignment. It’s possible that if Hayes’ injury lingers, Koloko could be recalled to the main club.</p><p>Much has been written about the Lakers’ need for a starting center, even when Davis was still on the team. Davis had let it be known that he wanted the team to pair him up with another center, replicating the success the team had during their 2020 championship run.</p><p>But since the trade deadline, Hayes has been the answer on both ends of the court. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/lakers-news-luka-doncic-jaxson-hayes-growth">Hayes has developed a strong rapport with Luka Doncic</a> in the pick and roll. In the Lakers’ win against the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday, he scored a season-high 19 points on 8-of-8 shooting, mostly off lobs from Doncic.</p><p>And on the defensive end, he’s been a steady anchor. He currently holds the team’s fourth-best defensive rating (110.9) behind only Vanderbilt, Doncic and Jordan Goodwin.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

2024-25 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
5.9	4.2	1.1	0.9	0.6

2024-25 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
5.9	4.2	1.1	0.9	0.6

Jaxson Hayes

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When will Lakers’ Rui Hachimura, Jaxson Hayes return from their injuries?

Lakers hit with worrisome Jaxson Hayes injury update

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