Lakers' Hayes dismissive of Wolves' Rudy Gobert: 'Not my main focus'

Jaxson Hayes, the only true center in the Lakers' rotation, downplayed his matchup against Minnesota's Rudy Gobert in the upcoming playoff series.

Feb 6, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers center Jaxson Hayes (11) controls the ball against the Golden State Warriors during the first half at Crypto.com Arena. | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

As the one true center in the Lakers' rotation, Jaxson Hayes figures to see plenty of the Timberwolves' Rudy Gobert in the upcoming first-round playoff series between the two teams. But when asked about that individual matchup this week, Hayes downplayed its significance, saying Gobert isn't his main focus in this series.

"Box him out, force overs, get him switched onto guys, set good screens," Hayes said of Gobert. "He's not my main focus. Obviously, he's my main matchup, but my main focus is getting guys like Luka and them open, rebounding, crashing hard, just out-competing them. That's my goal."

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

It's not an unreasonable comment from Hayes, considering his role on the Lakers. He's there to provide size on the boards and at the rim, set good screens, and catch lobs when the opportunities arise. It's not like he's going to be defending or attacking Gobert in isolation very often — neither player sees the ball much on offense if they aren't catching it near the rim.

Nonetheless, it feels like a comment that might make its way to Gobert, who is a prideful competitor with a chip on his shoulder. If it gives him a bit of extra motivation for this series, that could benefit the Wolves, as long as Rudy doesn't try to do too much with the basketball in his hands (or pick up silly fouls by playing Hayes too hard on defense).

Gobert played some of the best basketball of his Wolves career over the final ten games of the regular season, averaging 18.8 points and 14.9 rebounds during that span. He's a fascinating player to watch in this series because outside of Hayes, the Lakers don't have much frontcourt size at all after trading Anthony Davis for Luka Doncic. In theory, Gobert should be able to impose his will down low on both ends of the floor.

The big question with Gobert is how he plays (and how much) when Hayes is off the floor. J.J. Redick and the Lakers like to go small and play five-out offense with Dorian Finney-Smith and Rui Hachimura on the court alongside Doncic, Austin Reaves, and LeBron James. When that happens, will Gobert be able to hold up defensively on the perimeter, knowing the Lakers will try to get him switched onto Doncic? Hachimura shot 41 percent from three this season, so Gobert won't be able to hang out in the paint against that lineup.

If he doesn't get exploited defensively, Gobert could dominate as a rebounder and lob-catcher against that smaller lineup. But the Wolves may also try to match the Lakers with a five-out look of their own that includes either Naz Reid or Julius Randle at the five. Gobert's role and effectiveness will be a big part of the chess match between Redick and Chris Finch in this series.

The 24-year-old Hayes averaged 6.8 points and 4.8 rebounds per game this season. He's a sneaky important player in this series because he's the closest thing the Lakers have to Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford, who tormented the Wolves by catching lob after lob from Doncic in last year's Western Conference Finals.