It has been another rough season for the Los Angeles Lakers, with the storied franchise dealing with numerous injuries to key players throughout the entire 2023-24 NBA regular season thus far.
Although superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis have been able to stay healthy throughout the regular season, the Lakers have had to deal with a lot of role players being in and out of the lineup, like Cam Reddish, Gabe Vincent, Jarred Vanderbilt, and Christian Wood.
Ahead of Sunday’s game against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center, center Jaxson Hayes appeared on the team’s injury report, as he’s dealing with a left calf contusion and will miss the game against Mikal Bridges and company, according to Mike Trudell of Spectrum SportsNet.
Jaxson Hayes (left calf contusion) has been downgraded to out tonight against Brooklyn.
Lakers are already shorthanded in the frontcourt (Wood, Vanderbilt) and Hayes has been playing very well.
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) March 31, 2024
Even though Hayes being ruled out isn’t a game-changer for the Lakers, as he plays a limited role on this squad, it still puts more pressure on Davis to perform and avoid being in foul trouble.
Hayes has played well as of late, especially against the Memphis Grizzlies, when he scored 14 points, missing only one shot of the eight he attempted, and grabbed seven rebounds to go along with a block and a steal.
Hopefully, Hayes’ leg injury won’t keep him out an extended period of time, as the Lakers will need him to finish out the regular season.
Although Hayes was ruled out for today’s game in Brooklyn, the Lakers will get Vincent back on the floor after an extended absence, and he will play on Sunday against the Nets.