Jaxson Hayes isn’t worried about the best defender on the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The first-round matchup between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Minnesota Timberwolves will likely turn out to be an entertaining series.
Sure, both teams have incredible star power, but the contest will also be a test of each head coach as the two sides have polar opposite rosters.
On one hand, Chris Finch’s Timberwolves have a more conventional roster with multiple big men, including 4x NBA Defensive Player of the Year winner Rudy Gobert.
But on the other hand, JJ Redick has relied on small-ball lineups throughout the majority of the second half of the regular season, aside from the presence of Jaxson Hayes on the roster.
While Hayes has improved his game over the course of the season, many experts believe he will be exposed by Gobert in the opening round of the playoffs.
Hayes seemingly doesn’t even care about facing Gobert as he recently claimed that the 3x NBA All-Star is not even his main focus.
“Box him out, force turnovers, get him switched on to guys, [and] setting screens. He [Gobert] is not my main focus. Obviously, he’s my main matchup, but my main focus is getting guys like Luka [Doncic] open.
“Rebounding and crashing hard, outcompeting him. That’s my goal,” Hayes said.
Now, that’s a huge statement ahead of the postseason and it could certainly serve as extra motivation for Gobert to flaunt his defensive prowess against the Lakers.
If Hayes cares more about getting his star players open to score at will, Gobert’s priority is to be an elite player on both ends of the floor.
In fact, Gobert admitted that he needs to be the second-best player on the T-Wolves’ roster in order to advance to the Western Conference semifinals.
The biggest thorn in Gobert’s path would be none other than Luka Doncic. The former Dallas Mavericks superstar torched Rudy last season in the WCF.
Now, with the additional help of LeBron James and Austin Reaves, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Luka hunts Gobert on multiple possessions in a game throughout the series.
