JJ Redick provides major injury update on Jaxson Hayes

A big reason for the Los Angeles Lakers’ disappointing start to the season was injuries. Key players and critical role players both missed valuable court time, which impacted the Lakers’ regular-season record.

Even though the Lakers are starting to get going, the return of some injured players would be huge for this team. The Lakers are currently 17-13 and in sixth place in the Western Conference, but recently lost their star center Anthony Davis to a sprained ankle. Still, it would be incredible news for LA to see players like Jaxson Hayes return to the floor

Hayes serves as Anthony Davis’ backup, averaging 17.5 minutes, 6.4 points and 4.5 rebounds. First, he suffered a right ankle sprain, which caused him to miss six games. He was able to return for a match against the Phoenix Suns, but unfortunately re-injured his ankle. Since the new injury he has now missed 13 games in a row and continues to fight his way back onto the pitch.

According to head coach JJ Redick, Hayes had limited attendance at practice on Friday, participating in “non-contact portions of the session.” Most recently listed as out before the NBA Christmas game against the Golden State Warriors, he is now reportedly listed as day-to-day fit with no clear timetable yet for his return.

Bringing the 6-foot-11 center back into the fold would be a huge benefit for the Lakers, especially since Davis is dealing with an injury of his own and was also listed as questionable prior to Saturday’s game.

Even if he doesn’t pose much of a scoring threat to the team, he gives the Lakers a solid interior defender who can protect the rim, hit the boards and provide support for the team off the bench.

Redick spoke to the media after practice on Friday about the progress Hayes is making.

“Good. His work was mainly focused on the defensive and offensive breakdowns and he looked and moved well. I’m always very happy to have him back in the squad.”

“I think for us offensively it’s just how fast he runs and how quickly he gets from one action to the next,” Redick said. “He’s really good in the halfcourt at shielding, rolling and getting back to a second action. I think he and DLo have some praise stuff. As a roller, it exerts pressure on the rim. And then he showed his best for us defensively before he got injured. He had a four or five game stretch where he was great on both ends. And he also crashed and grabbed offensive rebounds for us. So we missed him.

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