Jaxson Hayes Explains What Sets Utah Jazz Apart From Previous Teams

The Utah Jazz brought in a new piece for their frontcourt earlier this offseason when they signed center Jaxson Hayes from the Los Angeles Lakers.

The move was largely a decision made to give the Jazz a bit more depth at their center spot after the front office opted to move on from Walker Kessler in a sign-and-trade to Hayes' previous home in Los Angeles.

Hayes, while not the defensive anchor or rebounder that Kessler is, provides some upside on the offensive end as a strong interior scorer.

In his past three years with LA, he's averaged over 72.0% shooting from the field as a rim finisher and lob threat–– which could be especially valuable with his new roster in Utah, especially with the changes this team has seen at their five position.

What's Stuck Out About the Jazz's Offense for Jaxson Hayes?

And while it's only been a few weeks into training camp and preseason for the Jazz, Hayes has already seen one key difference out of Utah and their offense that has set them apart from his previous teams: he's able to play with three bigs in the frontcourt.

"With this offense, we have three bigs. I've never played with that many other bigs before. The most I've played with was AD, and that was very rarely," Hayes said earler this week.

"Getting to play with all the bigs has been different. I'm playing more in the trail slot, on the wing side, instead of just trailing. That's been a different change, but I feel like it's been really good."

The Jazz's frontcourt setup, when healthy, tends to be a whole lot different than a vast majority of the league simply because of the size they can roll out in one lineup.

Someone like a 7-foot-1 Lauri Markkanen has the versatility to run either forward spot. A 6-foot-10 Jaren Jackson Jr. is a perfect defensive-minded power forward who fills the mold of a big, but could also benefit from another interior presence next to him at center, such as Hayes.

Oct 6, 2026; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz forward Jaren Jackson Jr. (20) brings the ball up the court against the Denver Nuggets during the second quarter at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

And for a player like Hayes who has mostly been alongside either one or no bigs throughout his career, coming into this Jazz lineup tends to be a big shift from the norm.

Yet at the same time, having that extra size and versatility in the frontcourt— especially next to two other All-Star-caliber players— is something that Hayes himself has not only welcomed, but seemingly benefitted from.

Jaxson Hayes Liking What He's Seen From the Guards Too

Hayes also made mention of what he's seen from the talent Utah has in the backcourt with the likes of Keyonte George, Darryn Peterson, and Isaiah Collier, where the takeaways also remained pretty positive.

"It's been great. They're all really athletic, smart guys with great basketball knowledge. It's been nice being able to give them some advice and help them with things they ask me about. It's been great."

Only a few months into his tenure with the Jazz, it seems like Hayes is progressively meshing well with everyone on the floor, which comes especially beneficial knowing that Utah will be without big man Jusuf Nurkic for the next four weeks with a foot injury.

That means, for Hayes, he should expect to get a bit more run at the start of the season to fill that void at the center position. And based on how he's felt in the building thus far, the Jazz might have no problems trusting him with that extra responsibility.

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