Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers - BONUS SHOW: Hayes Rising While Ayton Struggles: Should Lakers Change Their Starting Center?

Starting point is 00:00:00 As DeAndre Aiton struggles, Jackson Hayes is thriving. Is it time for the Lakers to change their starting center? That's next. You are Locked-on Lakers. Your daily Los Angeles Lakers podcast, part of the Locked-on Podcast Network, your team every day. Thanks to everybody for making Locked on Lakers. First listen to every day, Monday through Friday,

Starting point is 00:00:27 sometimes on weekends, even on holidays, and now even more than once a day. As we join you once again for one of these mini shows, whatever we didn't named it yet. You can help us give a title of these things, but whether you're getting it through Apple, Spotify, maybe one of the 37,000-plus subscribers to the Lockdown Lakers YouTube page no matter how you're doing it.

Starting point is 00:00:46 Part of making the Lockdown Podcast Network, the number one sports podcast network in this or any other known universe and Brian Komeneski with Andy Komenetsky cover the Lakers for nearly 20 years for outlets like the LA Times, ESPN for the athletic. And if there's a a big talking point going on right now, now, Andy, among Lakers fans.

Starting point is 00:01:06 It has to do with the center position, particularly after Thursday night's win against the Mavericks when Jackson Hayes played arguably his most complete game in his time as a Laker. 34 minutes, 16 points on 8 of 10 shooting, seven rebounds,

Starting point is 00:01:23 four assists, a block, three steals. He, of course, starting in part, really not in part entirely because DeAndre Aiton, once again, unable to play with a knee injury. But overall, Andy, if you want to look at the trend line, Jackson has played better on a per minute basis, has been more productive than DeAndre Aiden on a permanent basis over the last, you know, certainly last month. I would really say since 2026 began, like if you look at their minutes over the course of, or excuse me, their stats and a little bit of the advance ratings over the course of the season, DeAndre Aiton's averaging roughly 13 points,

Starting point is 00:02:07 eight and a half rebounds in a block in 28 minutes. Jackson Hayes in 18 minutes, seven points, four rebounds, and a little bit under one block per game. Their plus minus and their net ratings are roughly the same. DeAndre's is slightly better. They're both roughly neutralish in terms of the overall effect for them over the course of the season.

Starting point is 00:02:30 but if you're looking at just 2026 since the calendar started a new year, Jackson Hayes has been dramatically outplaying Aiton in terms of the overall effect. Like the numbers are still, like the raw numbers are still in D'Andre's favor, simply because he plays about 10ish more minutes than Jackson for game. But in 2026, Jackson Hayes has the second best net rating on this team. Number one, by the way, Jared Vanderbilt in 2026. Small victories. I've been yelling at JJ for a while.

Starting point is 00:03:08 Put him back in the damn rotation, dude. But Jackson Hayes has the second best net rating in 2026, 113.5, offensive rating, 109 defensive rating. DeAndre Aiton has a minus 2.5. Those numbers match the eye test, where DeAndre's had, DeAndre's had a few good games scattered throughout 2026. There have been times where I think he has played better than the numbers will tell you. The numbers are

Starting point is 00:03:41 the numbers, but sometimes they don't tell the whole story. But his overall effect, I think, has been all over the place. I think the outward energy that people are always watching for with DeAndre. Like, he is a guy that the body language doctors are always examining and it has not always been as good in 2026. Maybe it is the byproduct of that knee that has cost him five games in 2026 and three of the last four. But the bottom line is Jackson in 2026 has been outplaying DeAndre and I don't think it's particularly close. Yeah. And I think even beyond just the head to head, you can look at Aiton's numbers and just

Starting point is 00:04:22 you know, compare as November splits, 16 and a half points, nine rebounds a game, 76% shooting, which is probably not sustainable. But, you know, compare that to January. That dropped to 12 on 60% shooting, you know, still a pretty robust, eight and a half rebounds. But the trend line is going down February. He's averaging nine points a game in part because he's only taking five shots a game. So even though the shooting percentages back up, just not a. not as involved.

Starting point is 00:04:56 What is interesting, one of the things that is interesting about this, we can cover this over the course of this little show here is, I think two things are definitely true. One, Lakers fans like Jackson Hayes a lot more than like DeAndre 8, which is saying something because if you go back to the end of last season, Lakers fans did not like Jackson Hayes. No, they didn't think it was an NBA player. and part of the reason they like Jackson better is because they don't like DeAndre Aden.

Starting point is 00:05:28 And I think, you know, the the antenna are always up and out and hypersensitive to any drop-off in Aiton's play, which you don't need the hypersensitive antenna to notice. But the other side of this, we can break after this for a quick second, is that Jackson is a, Jackson is a, better player now than he was at the end of last season. I think people recognize it. Like, you know, every year you get the guy who put on 20 pounds of muscle and he's like, and 97% of the time you either don't notice or like the guy is like super slow. It actually makes them worse. Hayes has become a significantly better player adding the weight.

Starting point is 00:06:18 He hasn't lost an ounce of athleticism, but he doesn't get bounced around. nearly as much. He's still not a great rebounder, but his finishing is a little bit better. The explosiveness is there that he's playing with significantly more confidence. And I think the added strength actually is helping him foul less on the defensive side. He's not getting bounced around. He's in a sturdier, stronger position more often. So that makes a difference too. You're not comparing the Jackson Hayes of the end of last season. He's a different guy. And whether or not he would be as successful as a starter is a different question, though,

Starting point is 00:06:58 and we'll get to that next. After letting you know that Lockdown Lakers is brought to you by Indeed, hiring is not just about finding someone willing to take the job. It's about finding the right person with the right background who can actually help your business moving forward. And if you want candidates who match what you're looking for, indeed sponsored jobs, that's the move. Instead of hoping the right person just magically stumbles across your post, indeed helps you match the quality candidates that you want by boosting your job listing to the people who fit your specific criteria like skills, certification, location.

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Starting point is 00:08:04 It deserves at Indeed.com.com slash podcast. That's indeed.com slash podcast terms and conditions apply. Hiring, do it the right way with Indeed. Locked on Lickers is also brought to you by GameTime. There is nothing, Andy, like being in an NBA arena, really any place where they're playing live sports, where there's a live production going on, some kind of live thing.

Starting point is 00:08:28 Music could be whatever you want. Crowds, energy, movement. Getting tickets, though, that part has not always been so simple. And that's why GameTime has become the go-to app for scoring tickets fast without the hassle because it puts the advantage back where it belongs with the fans. In our house, we use game time, most of the time for soccer tickets. That's Angel City.

Starting point is 00:08:48 That's LAFC. And we are using all of the features. I love the upfront pricing. I know exactly what the all-in price is going to be. Before I pay for it, there's no hidden fees. There's none of that. I see it all before I decide what I'm going to pay for. The kids like it because they get to see where their seats are inside the arena and what the field is going to look like.

Starting point is 00:09:07 Or if you're taking your kid to Disney on Ice, what the characters are going to look like because you get to see that. too. You know exactly where you're going to sit and what things are going to look like. No surprises. And it works great. So take the guestwork out of buying tickets for the NBA or otherwise with GameTime. Download the GameTime app. Create account, use code lock on NBA for $20 off for first purchase. That's code L-O-C-E-D-O-N for $20 off. Download the GameTime app today. And remember, it's gametime.co, not dot com. One of the reasons, though, I do think it helps Andy Jackson with this splits. And this is independent of the fact that DeAndre is just not playing as well.

Starting point is 00:09:49 Like he is not playing as well as he was at the beginning of the season. I think that is, nobody would argue against that. It does help, though, that Jackson is playing more often against backups. So when you change, when you ask the question, should they change the starting lineup, I think that is something at least to keep in mind, that the matchups change, that, you know, Jackson's sort of status is a high energy guy who can come in with a lot of athleticism. It's mitigated or it looks different against starting units versus reserve units and all that kind of stuff. So if he does, if you made him your consistent 25 or 28 a night guy, I would expect more games. where he struggles more than he has over the last month.

Starting point is 00:10:45 Yeah, I think I gotta bake that in. Yeah, I think you gotta depend. I think it would depend in a lot of ways what the matchup is if he was the starting center and who you're playing against. I'm not necessarily, by the way, even looking to flip-flop him and Aiton, in part because I actually think D'Andre Aiton is a better fit with that starting group,

Starting point is 00:11:09 as far as having as many playmakers as possible working with him, because while we've talked about before, I do think he has missed Austin specifically in that starting lineup because I think Austin just has the most consistent pick-and-roll chemistry with Aiton. I think he is the best at throwing some of those pocket passes that Aiton really likes in the mid-post, as opposed to just the pure lobs that you look for with Jackson, with Jackson from Luca and LeBron and just he and he and Ait and have a good chemistry.

Starting point is 00:11:45 Yeah, I agree. And I think once Austin is back in the starting lineup, that may help. I also think to be perfectly honest, if you have concerns at all about keeping DeAndre focused and the best version of himself, I don't think unless it is absolutely just clearly necessary I don't think moving him to the bench is the move. I think what you do is just decrease his minutes, increase Jackson's minutes as appropriate. I think there will also be a lot of both opportunity and reasons

Starting point is 00:12:22 for the Lakers to go smaller in a lot of matchups with either LeBron or Rui or Vando as the small ball center. We've seen some success with that. I think this group is pretty, you know, like we've seen over the course of the season, They need multiple pitches defensively because they're not truly outstanding at any of those pitches. But it's one that they can use. It's one that can often put some of their best players on the floor at the same time.

Starting point is 00:12:50 And it's ultimately one that is going to be used. But I think unless it's clear, it just is not working with DeAndre in the starting unit. It's directly playing a role in starting halves poorly. I would keep things as is and just reduce his minutes and solve it that way or try to solve it that way. I think the best argument, first thing is for I would see what DeAndre looks like, assuming he heals up over the break. And then you have three, four, five games, you know, presumably Austin is a starter again at that point. The minutes restriction is lifted.

Starting point is 00:13:32 He's back in the starting lineup. I would let it. I think you've got to see four or five games at least with what they see as their starting lineup. The Lakers have a chance to get their preferred starting. What I think now is their preferred starting five with the big three plus Aiton and I think Marcus Smart will be the fifth starter. That's their best lineup. And I think you've got to see what that looks like with Aiton as your center.

Starting point is 00:14:01 But then from there, like I think you hit on all the stuff. that I was kind of thinking. Like, I don't think DeAndre Aden, both on this team with this group, or just generally, it would make a very good backup center. You know, I think there is a good chance Jackson won't be quite as good as a starter, which is understandable.

Starting point is 00:14:26 I think Aiton would be significantly worse as a backup. So overall, I don't think you're making your center rotation that much better. The one thing I think you could argue, is that if Jackson really is consistently out playing Aiden, even if it makes Aitin worse overall, and even if Jackson isn't as good as like, you know, he was against Dallas, a struggling Dallas team,

Starting point is 00:14:50 it should be noted. If you think it would get your team off to better starts and the Lakers do have a problem in first quarter sometimes, maybe that's the argument as you're putting yourself behind the eight ball because Aiton is playing. I think that puts a lot on D.E. André is the reason that's happening. But I don't see a need to do it.

Starting point is 00:15:12 I think you can get, you kind of hit on all the stuff I was thinking, you can get most of what you want just by tweaking the rotation. Yeah, I would say the same thing. At the very least, we're not there yet. I'm very curious though what people think. So leave your questions and leave your comments as to, maybe we'll even put up a poll as to whether or not you think that the Lakers really would benefit from a switch at,

Starting point is 00:15:36 starting center. We'll put up something for you to vote on and then leave your comments in that section. We can talk about it over the course of the week as the Lakers get a little time off for All-Star. Locked on Lakers on YouTube is where you can go hang out with over 37,000

Starting point is 00:15:52 subscribers to the game. We'll keep you updated if anything happens over All-Star weekend. Otherwise, enjoy it, everyone.

Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers - BONUS SHOW: Hayes Rising While Ayton Struggles: Should Lakers Change Their Starting Center?

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