Lakers' Jaxson Hayes Ruled Out for Matchup With Magic

During Sunday's game against the arch-rival Boston Celtics, veteran center Jaxson Hayes of the Los Angeles Lakers went down with a sprained ankle and didn't return to the game.

Hayes' injury has carried over to Tuesday's matchup against the visiting Orlando Magic, as he will not take the floor against Paolo Banchero and company while continuing to nurse the right ankle sprain.

Jaxson Hayes' Ankle Injury Will Keep Him Sidelined vs. Magic

Jaxson Hayes (right ankle sprain) has been downgraded to OUT for tonight’s game versus Orlando.
— Ryan Ward (@RyanWardLA) February 24, 2026

With Hayes ruled out for Tuesday's game, Lakers head coach JJ Redick and his coaching staff will likely lean heavily on starting center Deandre Ayton while also giving more minutes to veteran big man Maxi Kleber, who is only averaging 11.2 minutes per game this season.

As for Ayton, the veteran center is having a decent first season with the Lakers, averaging 13.0 points, 8.4 rebounds and 1.0 blocks per game, while shooting an impressive 66.6 percent from the floor, which is the second-best field-goal percentage in the NBA behind Rudy Gobert (70.6%) of the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Byron Scott: Lakers Have Zero Chance to Win a Title This Season

Byron Scott Los Angeles Lakers — Apr 13, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers head coach Byron Scott looks on against the Utah Jazz in the second quarter at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Lakers legend Byron Scott is not one to shy away from speaking his mind, especially when it comes to the team he helped win three NBA titles during the '80s while playing alongside fellow team legends Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and James Worthy.

During the NBA All-Star break, Scott spoke at an event for his Fast Break podcast and revealed his thoughts on the Lakers' current roster and how he feels the team can't contend with the best of the best in the Western Conference.

“They ain’t winning no championship this year,” Scott said of the Lakers’ title chances. “Listen, we all bleed purple and gold, but again, you got to be 100. They ain’t winning no championship this year. They don’t have enough. They don’t have enough. They got obviously three great players, right? But you need 10."

Scott believes the Oklahoma City Thunder are the perfect example of what a team needs to win a title in the league today.

“OKC won the championship last year ’cause they were 10 deep. If you watch an OKC game right now and they win the game, if you watch them doing an interview with Shai, guess what? Almost the whole team is around him. That is us in the ’80s, where everybody wants everybody to do well.”