Jaxson Hayes avoids serious injury, adapts to Luka

Lakers heart Jaxson Hayes averted major injury on his proper wrist after a onerous fall in Friday’s preseason finale as X-rays taken after the sport got here back adverse and an MRI scan revealed what Hayes on Sunday called “a light sprain.”

The 7-footer missed the second half of Friday’s exhibition sport with a proper wrist contusion after he caught a lob from Luka Doncic and was bumped in the air while jamming a two-handed dunk in the first quarter. He stayed in the sport for the second quarter and expects to be prepared for Tuesday’s regular-season opener against the Golden State Warriors.

“Being a dummy,” Hayes said after observe Sunday of how he bought harm on the play. “I shouldn’t have tried to catch myself, should’ve just fallen.”

Hayes scored six factors in the preseason loss to the Sacramento Kings, all on hovering dunks. He and Doncic linked on Hayes’ first basket of the sport as they had been enjoying together in the preseason for the first time.

Doncic’s wizardry in the pick-and-roll makes him an athletic rim-running heart’s dream as the artful level guard drops passes from every conceivable angle. But in Doncic’s first training camp with the Lakers since last 12 months’s midseason commerce, gamers, including new heart Deandre Ayton are still adjusting to Doncic’s passes.

While coach JJ Redick said he was blissful with the Lakers’ 28 assists to 10 turnovers in the preseason sport against the Kings, he estimated the staff missed seven help alternatives because of misfired lobs or overly difficult passes.

“For all bigs and point guards, when you start playing with a new big or a new point guard, it’s a learning period,” Hayes said. “You just learn how they like their screens. You learn how they like you to roll to the hoop. It’s just little things. You learn where they like to pass you the ball. … It’s just those guys [Doncic and Ayton] are figuring each other out, just like me and Luka did last year.”

The chemistry between Hayes and Doncic has gotten so strong that Hayes is being recruited to be part of the Slovenian national staff and said he’s working on getting a Slovenian passport. He and Doncic are both shoppers of agent Bill Duffy, and Doncic and his household have been concerned in the method for about a 12 months and half, Hayes said.

Hayes watched Slovenia’s run to the quarterfinals in EuroBasket with a cautious eye realizing that becoming a member of the staff may very well be a chance for him in the future. FIBA permits each national staff to have one naturalized participant, which the worldwide basketball governing physique defines as a participant who obtains their passport for that nation after turning 16.

Hayes said he had hopes of representing the United States, but USA Basketball doesn’t have open tryouts for senior national groups.

“I wanted to just play on that stage,” Hayes said. “So I’m going do whatever it takes to play on that stage.”

Etc.

The Lakers cut down their roster to 14 commonplace contract gamers on Saturday, waiving RJ Davis, Augustas Marciulionis, Anton Watson and Nate Williams after training camp formally ended. The staff saved heart Christian Koloko and guards Chris Manon and Nick Smith Jr. on two-way contracts. … Manon was nursing an ankle injury during training camp but was a full participant in observe on Sunday. Bronny James (ankle) and rookie Adou Thiero (knee) went through a modified workout.