Jackson Hayes exits preseason finale with wrist contusion
In the final game Los Angeles Lakers‘ preseason, there was a bit of a panic moment for the team. Reserve center Jaxon Hayes was injured after a dunk attempt, after which he went to the bench. After that rrevealed that the center had a wrist contusion and was ruled out for the rest of the game.
“The Lakers say Jackson Hayes has a right wrist contusion and is out for the rest of tonight’s preseason game,” ClutchPoint’s Brett Siegel reported last night.
Dave McMenamin announced later that X-rays on Hayes’ wrist were negative. The Lakers will have better information on the center’s status for his regular-season debut in the next few days as Hayes undergoes more tests to determine his injury.
The Lakers’ center position has been a huge topic since last season. After the trade of Anthony Davis to the Dallas Mavericks, that position has been a constant weak spot for the team. Hayes struggled at times as a starter for Los Angeles, eventually which benched him in their playoff series against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Los Angeles tried to fix this problem during the offseason. They got former first overall pick DeAndre Ayton to likely be the team’s starter. Hayes has been moved to a backup role, which seems more comfortable. If Hayes ends up missing time to start the year, former Maverick Maxi Kleber will be Ayton’s primary backup.
Unfortunately, Hayes’ potential absence won’t be the biggest injury for the Lakers coming into the season. LeBron James is scheduled to be sidelined until mid-November while working on some back issues. With the NBA legend out for some time, it’s up to Luka Doncic and the rest of the Lakers staff to get off to a good start and give James plenty of time to recover.
2025-10-18 14:14:00
