-
Dave McMenamin, ESPN Staff Writer
LOS ANGELES — The Lakers’ already thin front line suffered another blow.
Backup center Jaxson Hayes sprained his left ankle during practice Tuesday, the team announced. He will sit out Wednesday’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies and be reevaluated in 1-2 weeks.
Adding to the Lakers’ woes, coach JJ Redick revealed that another backup big man, Christian Wood, experienced a setback in his recovery from offseason surgery on his left knee. Wood will be sidelined for at least another month.
Editor’s Picks
1 Related
Hayes was coming off one of his best games of the season, tallying 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting, six rebounds, and one blocked shot while sparking L.A.’s finish against the Toronto Raptors Sunday after Anthony Davis received an eye poke and exited.
The Lakers outscored the Raptors by a significant margin of 21 points during the 21 minutes Hayes was on the floor.
Davis visited an ophthalmologist Monday, sources told ESPN, and reported his eye feels “fine” and he is cleared to play against the Grizzlies.
With both Hayes and Wood sidelined, the Lakers’ center depth chart consists solely of Davis and two-way player Christian Koloko.
Koloko, a former second-round pick from the University of Arizona, missed the entire 2023-24 season due to a blood clot issue. He has appeared in three games since being cleared by the NBA’s “fitness to play” panel, two for the Lakers and one for the South Bay Lakers (the organization’s G League affiliate).
