NEW YORK — Lakers coach Darvin Ham is known for being honest and straightforward with feedback to his players.
So when Jaxson Hayes went from being in the regular rotation and playing consistently to being out of the rotation and mainly getting late-game minutes when the game’s outcome was already decided, Hayes didn’t have to wonder why – Ham and his staff communicated with him.
And that dialogue gave Hayes the feedback he needed to improve, helping him have a season-best performance in the Lakers’ 114-105 victory over the league-best Boston Celtics on Thursday night despite the Lakers being without Anthony Davis and LeBron James.
Hayes had season highs of 16 points and 10 rebounds – six offensive rebounds – and three steals in the win in Boston. It was the eighth double-double of the 23-year-old’s career and his first since April 5, 2022, when he was with the New Orleans Pelicans.
But the most impressive stat: zero fouls in a season-high 34 minutes, demonstrating his growth when it comes to defending without fouling – an area of improvement throughout his five-year career.
“It was just keeping my hands back, showing my hands,” Hayes said “We’ve been working on that, me and the coaches have as funny as that sounds. In my individual workouts, I sit there with three coaches driving and just me standing out there going verticality and showing my hands or them doing a bunch of pump fakes and just making sure I stay down and show my hands.
“It was just practicing with the coaches the past month or so. That was a big talking point for Coach on why I was taken out of the rotation earlier in the year. I just wanted to make sure I did a good job on it.”
The No. 8 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, Hayes’ talent and athleticism are evident as soon as he steps on the court.
But since coming into the league he’s struggled with fouling, averaging 4.3 fouls per 36 minutes entering this season. He entered Saturday averaging 6.6 fouls per 36…
Read the full article here
