The Los Angeles Lakers will have to make do without center Jaxson Hayes for at least the next few games.
Hayes suffered a sprained left ankle during practice on Tuesday and will miss Wednesday’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies, the team said. Hayes will be reevaluated in 1-2 weeks.
The injury is the latest injury the Lakers are dealing with in their centers. Christian Wood is still recovering from offseason knee surgery, and Anthony Davis was stabbed in the eye during their 121-103 win over the Toronto Raptors on Sunday. , although it was the same eye that he suffered two corneal abrasions from last season.
Hayes averaged 6.3 points and 4.6 rebounds per game this season, his second with the Lakers after spending his first four seasons in the league with the New Orleans Pelicans. The 24-year-old also had 12 points and a season-high six rebounds in the win over the Raptors. Hayes stepped in to help replace Davis down the stretch of that game after he left with his eye injury.
Wood won’t be back for the Lakers anytime soon either. Wood underwent an arthroscopic procedure on his left knee in September to resolve a knee problem that plagued him late last season. Wood has suffered knee problems in recent days and will now be out for at least another month.
Outside of Davis, the only other center on the Lakers’ roster is two-way player Christian Koloko, who was cleared by the league to play after missing all of last season due to a blood clot issue. He played in two games for the Lakers and one for their G League affiliate this season.
The Lakers enter Wednesday night’s game with a 6-4 record and are coming off back-to-back wins. They open the NBA Cup, which officially kicked off league-wide on Tuesday, against the San Antonio Spurs on Friday.
