Los Angeles Lakers: 5 options for pick No. 4 in 2019 NBA Draft

5. Jaxson Hayes

The Los Angeles Lakers have experienced a high amount of center turnover over the past calendar year. They waved goodbye to Brook Lopez, Julius Randle and Thomas Bryant in free agency — all players who had productive seasons at various stops (Lopez’s season has not ended). During the season, they traded young center Ivica Zubac for a rental. JaVale McGee, Tyson Chandler and Mike Muscala are all free agents.

That leaves a need for center depth on the team. The Lakers will certainly sign a veteran big this summer, but they need to develop more at the position as well. One option to consider is Texas freshman Jaxson Hayes.

One of the youngest players in the draft, Hayes was a latecomer to the lottery ranks. He started to garner attention as a prospect after blocking Zion Williamson in an AAU game, eventually getting the offer from Texas. There he continued to move up draft boards throughout his freshman season, now firmly entrenched as a lottery prospect and the best center in the draft.

An elite shot-blocker, Hayes protects the rim in the way every defensive coach wants to see from a young center. He might be the rare defensive big who can survive on the perimeter and turn away all comers inside. Offensively, he is the classic pick-and-roll rim-runner, although an optimistic team might see more.

LeBron James has played with both pick-and-pop bigs and pick-and-roll bigs, and proven he can thrive with either kind. New head coach Frank Vogel has classically deployed a top-notch rim protector, and those are scarce on both the Lakers’ current roster and in free agency. While Hayes may seem like a reach at No. 4, the fit could be perfect for the Lakers.