The Los Angeles Lakers will need a full-team effort when they face the Minnesota Timberwolves for Game 4 of their opening-round NBA playoff series on Sunday. JJ Redick's team is officially playing from behind after losing 116-104 to the Timberwolves in Game 3 on Friday night, putting the Lakers in a 2-1 hole.
Several Lakers were invisible throughout the latest loss, including starting center Jaxson Hayes. The 24-year-old big man finished Friday's outing with another forgettable performance, leaving Los Angeles fans to wonder if the coaching staff is starting to consider benching Hayes as long as he does more harm than good.
Lakers News: JJ Redick Still Believes in Jaxson Hayes Despite Struggles vs. Timberwolves
Following Game 3's loss, The Athletic's Jovan Buha reported that the Lakers aren't ready to give up on Hayes just yet. Despite the former Texas Longhorn's struggles, his coach is more than willing to give him another chance.
"We'll look at everything but we still believe in Jaxson," Redick told reporters.
JJ Redick on if he’s considering benching starting center Jaxson Hayes: “We’ll look at everything but we still believe in Jaxson.”
— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) April 26, 2025
Hayes has yet to crack double-digit minutes in the series.
Even though he's started in the series' first three games, Hayes has yet to log double-digit minutes before Game 4. He's only averaging 8.7 minutes of action in the playoffs compared to the 21.8 minutes he played in the 30 regular-season games following the pre-deadline Luka Doncic-Anthony Davis swap with the Dallas Mavericks.
It'd be one thing if Hayes were capitalizing on his minimal minutes, however, that isn't the case. He's shot a putrid 2-of-6 (33.3%) from the field while only picking up five rebounds along the way. His scoring struggles have reached the point where his 90 offensive rating per 100 possessions in this series is the third-worst mark between both teams.
It doesn't help that the slumping seven-footer has also been undisciplined, taking six personal fouls in the last two games alone. He's also played to a minus-18 plus/minus rating, further highlighting just how detrimental he's been at both ends of the court.
Despite these struggles, though, it sounds like Redick is willing to give Hayes to prove that he still deserves to be a starter. The endless second chances might stem from a connection the duo fostered while being New Orleans Pelicans teammates between 2019 and 2021.
All history aside, Redick can't continue giving Hayes opportunities if the latter isn't going to capitalize on them. Another forgettable performance must result in the 24-year-old center riding the bench because it'll be clear at that point that he isn't the right big man to help lead L.A. on another title run, which would also hurt his chance of being re-signed by the Lakers this summer.