Centers are something that's been in short supply for the Los Angeles Lakers in recent years and it's a position gap that they've been earnestly trying to fill.

The first major attempt at doing so in the post-Anthony Davis era has been with the signing of Deandre Ayton, but there's another center further down the depth chart that has made major strides this season. 

Jaxson Hayes has continued to assert his value for the Lakers this season coming off the bench and in his third season with the Lakers, he's found a way to clean up his game and step up his production. 

In 54 games, eight starts, this season, Hayes is averaging seven points, four rebounds and 0.6 blocks in 17.7 minutes per game. The points per game in particular are a Lakers career-high for Hayes, but his biggest improvements this season haven't necessarily been what he does on the court, but rather what he doesn't do.

After the Lakers' 110-97 win over the New York Knicks on Sunday, Redick described a time ahead of last season after he'd been hired as the Lakers' head coach where he went over each player on the roster with his staff and assessed the strengths and weaknesses of the team. 

When it came to Hayes, what stood out to Redick was how often he set illegal screens and committed both offensive and defensive fouls. Cleaning up Hayes' game when it came to racking up penalties  became a priority in the young center's development, and between last season and now he's made major strides.

"I thought as the season progressed last year we cleaned up the illegal screens. He got a lot better, particularly after the trade with Luka [Doncic] at making pocket decisions versus shocks and blitzes, but we never really got there with the fouling," Redick said (via The Sporting Tribune). "He's been much better this year."

Hayes is down to just 1.4 personal fouls per game this season compared to 2.4 per game last season, which was just a hair shy of Hayes' career-high in fouls per game that he set as a rookie in the 2019-20 season. 

With it looking like Hayes will be utilized more and more amid inconsistencies from Ayton, playing a cleaner, more efficient and more productive game will be crucial. Hayes may be in his seventh season, but he's still just 25 years old and has both the time and the malleability to continue developing his game.

The Lakers will need that improvement from him as they rely on him to bolster their depth at an otherwise thin position on the roster and as the playoffs approach, keeping Hayes' foul count down will be even more important.