Jaxson Hayes got thrust into a starting role last season after the Los Angeles Lakers traded Anthony Davis for Luka Doncic.
Hayes had spent the 2024-25 season backing up Davis, but as the lone true center on the roster he was forced to start.
Not only did he perform admirably, but he earned the trust of Luka Doncic as his rim-running partner in the pick and roll. Hayes seemed to joke that he was working on getting a Slovenian passport to play with Doncic in international competition, but he confirmed that it’s actuslly in the works, via Dave McMenamin of ESPN:
“Yeah, just a little something.