Jaxson Hayes Assures He Wants to Return to the Lakers

Jaxson Hayes is about to hit free agency, and he made it about as easy on the Lakers as a player possibly can.

The 25-year-old big man wrapped up another good year off the bench for a team that went 53-29 and grabbed the fourth seed in the Western Conference.

Then, sitting in front of reporters at exit interviews after Oklahoma City swept them out of the second round, Hayes said exactly what every Lakers fan was hoping to hear.

"I love this group of guys, I love this staff, I love this organization as a whole," Hayes said. "I grew up watching Kobe and I just love to be a Laker. I wear Kobes every day. I'd love to stay here, obviously. I hope so."

The numbers do a lot of the talking.

Hayes played 66 games and averaged 7.5 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 0.9 assists on 75.6 percent shooting from the field.

That field goal percentage is absurd at any position, let alone for a big getting most of his looks at the rim.

His PER sat at 18.3 with 5.0 win shares, both really productive numbers for a guy who started the year behind Ayton.

He stepped in when injuries hit too, sliding into the starting lineup whenever Ayton was sidelined.

The chemistry he built with Luka Doncic became one of the more important storylines of the season, especially in pick-and-roll where Hayes runs the floor and finishes lobs at full speed.

Here's the truth of it.

Hayes is the better fit next to Luka than Ayton, no question, and the offense flows differently with him out there.

Luka has always been at his best with a vertical lob threat who rolls hard and finishes around the rim without demanding his own touches, which is exactly the player Hayes turned into this year.

Ayton averaged 12.5 points and 8.0 rebounds across 72 starts, but he wanted more than a screen-and-roll role.

The "I'm not no Clint Capela" line he dropped after a loss to Orlando in February basically tells the rest of the story.

He wanted the ball more, and on a team running everything through Luka, LeBron James, and Austin Reaves, that math just never quite worked out.

Hayes never carried any of that ego baggage.

He sets screens, runs hard, and dunks whatever gets thrown his way.

JJ Redick was already closing games with him over Ayton by the end of the regular season, and the Lakers went 6-2 in his starts.

This should be the easiest call of the Lakers' summer.

Rob Pelinka and the front office are working with Luka to build something real around their guy, and the fastest, cheapest path to that is bringing back a center who already loves the city and already fits the star.