Jaxon Hayes reportedly could become the Lakers much-needed Brooke Lopez-style player

The Lakers met their demands for athletic big man by signing Ayton, but failed to get a floor-range center. However, with some offseason training, Hayes could be the threat of sharpshooter that the team needs. The Lakers are very active in addressing their roster needs this offseason. With Ayton's signing and Hayes' re-signing, the Purple Gold Legion effectively strengthened their frontcourt.

Ayton's addition in the free agent market provides the Lakers with a reliable and athletic center they have always wanted to partner with their star Doncic. But given their player profiles for big men’s goals, they may have missed the chance to get a big man in the Sharpshooter. Although Lopez was once considered a potential signing partner, the Lakers failed to sign him as the former Milwaukee Bucks center turned to sign with the Clippers. Losing Lopez is a roadblock, but the Lakers may have found a solution. A recent video highlights Hayes' steady progress as a three-point shooter, and the Purple Gold Legion may be raising him into the floor-spaced big man they need.

In the video, Hayes can be seen shooting from the top of the free throw area, with impressive accuracy. With the clean mechanism of the set shot, there are also legal applications in the game. Hayes mainly acts as an air contact threat. Whether it's pick-and-roll or dunk, the big man always uses his athleticism and bounce ability to finish the finish in an authoritative way under the basket. Adding threes might add another layer of color to his game, especially when it comes to pick-and-roll. The natural transition is that he rolls to the basket, but a reliable shot from the outside will allow him to choose a reversal move and retreat to the 3-point line. This will effectively create a mismatch in the pick-and-roll situation.

When partnering with a talented organizational core like Doncic, Hayes can easily reproduce these changes in traditional pick-and-roll styles. This will undoubtedly make the Lakers' offense more diverse and profound. At 7 feet 0, few players can fight against any shot Hayes attempted. While this may be a sign of development, the road to becoming a reliable outside shooter is long. Hayes did not use the three-pointer as part of his offensive game. Hayes has averaged less than 0.1 3-point shots per game and has a 0% shooting percentage per game over the past two seasons. If the template set for him is like Brooke Lopez, Hayes still has a lot of work to do. But the outlook remains optimistic, especially given Lopez's career trajectory.

Early in his career, Lopez was more like a traditional big man. While having solid defense and blocking skills, he has established himself as a threatening position in the low post. It wasn't until his ninth season in the league that Lopez began trying more 3-pointers. In the 2016-17 season, he averaged 5.2 3-pointers per game and averaged 34.6% from outside the line. It was a transitional phase of Lopez's career that ultimately paid off and earned him the reputation of a reliable floor-spaced big man. Hayes,

25-year-old Hayes may have a significant improvement if he can develop confidence in the three-point range. While he may not have the freedom that Lopez, who was the Nets' starter during the transition period, Hayes could still be an effective contributor on the bench.