JJ Redick stresses belief in Jaxson Hayes as Los Angeles Lakers face must-win game 4

After a crushing Game 3 loss Friday night at Crypto.com Arena, the Los Angeles Lakers find themselves backed into a corner against the Minnesota Timberwolves. A late collapse and lingering defensive issues have the team scrambling for answers. Head coach JJ Redick, while acknowledging the problems, made it clear he is not ready to give up on center Jaxson Hayes just yet. The Lakers now trail 2–1 in the series, and the pressure is growing daily.

After the 116–104 loss, JJ Redick was blunt. "The fact is we don’t have rim protection," he said. Minnesota feasted on easy drives all night, with Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels taking turns blowing past defenders. Redick did not sugarcoat it. "You give up blow-bys, we’re gonna give up something. We’re gonna give up a three or a shot from [Edwards] at the rim."
Jaxson Hayes has barely made a dent so far. Through three games, he is averaging just 1.7 points and 1.7 rebounds in 8.7 minutes a night.. But Redick is not ready to bail. Speaking to The Athletic’s Jovan Buha after the game, Redick said, "We’ll look at everything but we still believe in Jaxson."

Still, the Lakers have mostly gone small instead. Dorian Finney-Smith has replaced Hayes in key spots as Los Angeles tries to pull Minnesota’s defense away from the paint. It has not really worked. The Lakers’ smaller lineups are getting crushed in their minutes together, with a -13.4 net rating and a brutal 26% mark from deep, far from the game-changing impact they were hoping for.
The options are limited. Alex Len has barely seen any action, and the Lakers’ younger bigs are not even active for the playoffs. Redick suggested Friday night that the door is still open to tweaking Hayes' role, depending on what gives the Lakers their best shot in Game 4.
Beyond the defensive concerns, turnovers have been a major headache. The Lakers committed 16 turnovers in Game 3, a number Redick was quick to criticize after the loss. While he credited Minnesota’s pressure, he emphasized that many of the mistakes were "unforced." "The turnovers were just too much," he said.
Also Read: JJ Redick explains how NBA players thrive off hostile crowds: “The feeling you get of people hating you and yelling at you…”
Now it is win-or-else time. The Lakers head into Game 4 knowing there is no more room for mistakes. Whether Redick sticks with Hayes or leans even harder into small-ball, Los Angeles needs answers — fast. If Hayes can find his footing, maybe there is still hope. But either way, the Lakers’ margin for error is officially gone.