The Los Angeles Lakers have been very active in addressing their roster needs this offseason. With the signing of Deandre Ayton and the re-signing of Jaxson Hayes, the Purple and Gold effectively fortified their frontcourt.
The addition of Ayton in free agency gave the Lakers the reliable and athletic center they had been looking to pair with their star Luka Doncic. But considering the player profiles they’d listed for big man targets, they may have missed out on acquiring a sharpshooting big man.
While Brook Lopez had been presented as a potential signing, the Lakers failed to land him, as the former Milwaukee Bucks center signed with the Clippers instead.
Losing out on Lopez was a roadblock, but the Lakers may have found a solution. With a recent video highlighting Jaxson Hayes‘ steady improvement as a three-point shooter, the Purple and Gold may be developing him into the floor-spacing big man they needed.
Jaxson Hayes turning into a Brook Lopez type player 👀🔥 pic.twitter.com/n2F3unHFdc
— LakeShowYo (@LakeShowYo) August 12, 2025
In the video, Hayes can be seen taking lightly contested shots from the top of the key, with some impressive accuracy to boot. With clean mechanics on the set shot, there is legitimate in-game application for this as well.
Hayes has primarily acted as a lob threat. Whether it is off the pick-and-roll or in the dunker’s spot, the big man has always leveraged his athleticism and jumping ability to finish at the rim with authority. Adding a three-point shot could see him add another layer to his game, especially in the pick-and-roll.
The natural transition would be for him to roll towards the basket, but a reliable shot from the perimeter would give him an option to invert his movement and retreat to the three-point line. This would effectively create a mismatch in a pick-and-pop situation.
When paired with a talented playmaker like Doncic, Hayes could easily recreate these variations of the traditional pick-and-roll play. This would undoubtedly give the Lakers’ offense a lot more variety and depth.
At 7’0″, there are very few players who would be capable of contesting any shots attempted by Hayes. While this could be a sign of development, the road towards becoming a reliable perimeter shooter is a long one.
Hayes has not implemented the three-point shot as part of his offensive game. In the last two seasons, Hayes has recorded fewer than 0.1 three-pointers attempted per game, resulting in an average of 0%.
If the template set out for him is to be like Brook Lopez, Hayes has a lot of work to do. But the outlook is still positive, especially considering Lopez’s career trajectory.
Early in his career, Lopez was more of a traditional big man. While boasting solid defensive and shot-blocking abilities, he had established himself as a threat in the low post.
It was only in his ninth season in the league that Lopez began attempting more three-pointers. With 5.2 three-pointers attempted per game during the 2016-17 season, he recorded a respectable average of 34.6% from beyond the arc.
This was a transitional stage for Lopez’s career, and it eventually paid off for him, earning him the reputation of a reliable floor-spacing big man.
At 25 years old, Hayes could see a dramatic improvement in performance if he could develop confidence from three-point range. While he may not have the latitude Lopez had, who was a starter with the Nets during his transition period, Hayes could still be an effective contributor off the bench.
