Lakers' Jaxson Hayes Comments on Rudy Gobert Could Come Back to Haunt LA

The Los Angeles Lakers decided not to try to make another trade for a center after they rescinded the Mark Williams trade. Instead of trying to get another center, they have been rolling with Jaxson Hayes.

Hayes has played pretty well since becoming the starter, but pundits still believe he is the weakest part of this team. They don't believe that he offers enough rim protection for the Lakers.

Interior defense is certainly a concern for Los Angeles. Still, Hayes is extremely confident in himself and his abilities to take care of whoever he's guarding against the Timberwolves.

Hayes is going to be matched up with Rudy Gobert for most of the series, but he mentioned that Gobert will not be his primary concern throughout the series.

Jaxson Hayes on Wolves center Rudy Gobert in the first round: “He’s my matchup but he’s not my main focus” pic.twitter.com/bybXqEJ0B7
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) April 17, 2025

"Box him out, force overs, get him switched on to guys, set good screens. He's not my main focus. Obviously, he is my main matchup, but my main focus is getting guys like Luka and them open. Rebounding, crashing hard, out-competing them, that's my goal."

It doesn't sound like Hayes' main focus is going to be to make sure that Gobert doesn't dominate the boards, which could be a problem. Gobert is one of the best rebounders in the NBA.

Keeping Gobert off the glass, especially the offensive glass, is going to be a major key in this series. Hayes has to make sure that Gobert doesn't get too many second-chance opportunities for his team.

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Los Angeles will certainly try to get Luka Doncic and LeBron James open on offense, but they have to make sure that they take care of the fundamentals, too.

That means keep Gobert off the glass and away from easy lob opportunities. He won't beat them with traditional post-ups, but he can score if he gets too close to the hoop.

Hayes is not as strong as Gobert, so keeping him away from the rim is going to be more of a challenge than he is making it seem.

During the regular season, Hayes averaged 6.8 points. 4.8 rebounds, and one assist per game.

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