Many people felt the Los Angeles Lakers had a real shot at winning this season’s NBA championship or at least making a deep playoff run when the playoffs started last month. But instead of giving themselves a chance to do something special, the Lakers lost in the first round to the Minnesota Timberwolves in five games.
One of the biggest reasons they flamed out so early was their weak center rotation. Jaxson Hayes, their starting center and the only true center in their rotation, had his moments during the regular season, but he barely played versus Minnesota. He ended up averaging 1.8 points, 2.0 rebounds and 0.3 blocks in 7.6 minutes a game during the series.
Once it was over, he seemed shocked at how quickly L.A.’s season came to an end.
Via Lakers Nation:
“It just doesn’t feel real,” Hayes said. “I feel like we had a great team. We were coming along and after the All-Star break I feel like we really started clicking a lot. So it just doesn’t even feel real that the season is over.”
Addressing the center position will be the Lakers’ top task this offseason. While they also need a little more guard and wing depth, simply adding a starting-caliber defensive center to their roster would greatly increase their chances of winning it all next season.
Hayes could be a solid reserve center, but it has been proven that he’s incapable of being a starter on a team that hopes to make lots of noise in the postseason.