Lakers make 2 huge low-risk, high-reward signings to polish off free agency dominance

What can Jaxson Hayes bring to the Los Angeles Lakers?

Jaxson Hayes is a ridiculous athlete. At 6-foot-11, he runs the floor hard and catches anything remotely near the rim, and jams it. This athleticism translates to some insane blocks on defense as well. Other than that, we haven’t seen a whole lot from him.

Hayes can often get into foul trouble and isn’t the smartest guy on the court, but he can still give you great production and energy in 15-20 minutes of game time. Despite this, there’s still a lot that can be unlocked with Hayes. With his size and speed, there’s potential for him to be a real presence inside defensively. Although he can block everything, he’s never averaged a full block per game. And since he’s so quick, he should be able to guard perimeter players in stretches.

Behind Anthony Davis, Jaxson is really in the perfect spot to be a backup center. Since AD is so good and plays so much, all Hayes has to do is go out there for 15 minutes and give great effort. Considering all his physical tools, and what we’ve seen from him in the NBA, that’s probably exactly what he’ll do.

Reddish and Hayes were once highly touted, but they still have a lot to prove. LA was fortunate to pick them up for very little coin, and luckily for them, their payout could be much larger than what they initially invested.