Originally published by LakersNation.com
Los Angeles Lakers center Jaxson Hayes was in the news over the last week after an altercation with the Washington Wizards mascot went viral. He was seen shoving the mascot to the ground prior to L.A.’ matchup against the Wizards on Friday, Jan. 30.
Hayes served a one-game suspension for his actions, and head coach JJ Redick said that the backup center made a mistake and wanted to use it as a learning experience. While it, on the surface, seemed to be a silly situation altogether, the NBA has cracked down on players interacting with non-players ever since the Malice at the Palace in 2004.
Hayes is now back with the Lakers and his suspension was served. The big man gave an honest assessment of his actions and offered an apology to the Wizards organization and their mascot on Saturday.
“I obviously apologize to the team, the mascot,” Hayes said. “We all try to get ourselves in the mental space and physical space to play a game and when I’m stretching and someone steps on my foot, I might’ve lost it. I should’ve handled it a different way. You live and you learn.”
It’s good to see Hayes immediately taking accountability for his actions, as it shows that he truly learned from the situation and likely won’t find himself in the same one again.
The Lakers simply don’t have the depth to lose players for silly reasons, and Hayes needs to stay available in order for the team to have somewhat competitive frontcourt depth. Pushing mascots is simply not worth the cost to the Lakers.
Maxi Kleber discusses staying ready for Lakers
In the one game that Hayes missed, Maxi Kleber stepped up and had arguably his best game as a Laker. Kleber finished with four points, four rebounds, four assists and three steals in 26 minutes as the Lakers came back for a 119-115 victory.
Kleber was a team-high plus-23 on the night and when asked how he stays ready despite his inconsistent role, the big man said that he simply puts in the necessary work so he’s always ready.
“I think the one thing that you always can do is just support and be there for your teammates,” Kleber said after the game. “I think that keeps you mentally in the game and honestly you just wanna make sure that you do your work. When you do your work you’re always prepared whenever you’re thrown in there so that’s the key component to me.”
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Los Angeles Lakers center Jaxson Hayes was in the news over the last week after an altercation with the Washington Wizards mascot went viral. He was seen shoving the mascot to the ground prior to L.A.’ matchup against the Wizards on Friday, Jan. 30.
Hayes served a one-game suspension for his actions, and head coach JJ Redick said that the backup center made a mistake and wanted to use it as a learning experience. While it, on the surface, seemed to be a silly situation altogether, the NBA has cracked down on players interacting with non-players ever since the Malice at the Palace in 2004.
Hayes is now back with the Lakers and his suspension was served. The big man gave an honest assessment of his actions and offered an apology to the Wizards organization and their mascot on Saturday.
“I obviously apologize to the team, the mascot,” Hayes said. “We all try to get ourselves in the mental space and physical space to play a game and when I’m stretching and someone steps on my foot, I might’ve lost it. I should’ve handled it a different way. You live and you learn.”
It’s good to see Hayes immediately taking accountability for his actions, as it shows that he truly learned from the situation and likely won’t find himself in the same one again.
The Lakers simply don’t have the depth to lose players for silly reasons, and Hayes needs to stay available in order for the team to have somewhat competitive frontcourt depth. Pushing mascots is simply not worth the cost to the Lakers.
Maxi Kleber discusses staying ready for Lakers
In the one game that Hayes missed, Maxi Kleber stepped up and had arguably his best game as a Laker. Kleber finished with four points, four rebounds, four assists and three steals in 26 minutes as the Lakers came back for a 119-115 victory.
Kleber was a team-high plus-23 on the night and when asked how he stays ready despite his inconsistent role, the big man said that he simply puts in the necessary work so he’s always ready.
“I think the one thing that you always can do is just support and be there for your teammates,” Kleber said after the game. “I think that keeps you mentally in the game and honestly you just wanna make sure that you do your work. When you do your work you’re always prepared whenever you’re thrown in there so that’s the key component to me.”
If you love our reporting, choose LakersNation.com as a preferred source on Google.