Zhuang becomes like Anthony Davis! Lakers are thrilled! The NBA new season’s first poster dunk

Wild play: Hayes caught Reeves’ “poor pass” and violently alley-ooped over Booker.

Defensively, Hayes kept teaching Booker a lesson with a massive face-up block.

In the Lakers’ first NBA preseason game this year, Hayes played around 17 minutes off the bench, shooting 1-for-2, hitting 5 of 6 free throws, tallying 7 points, 5 rebounds (including 2 offensive boards), 1 assist, 1 steal, and 2 blocks, but the team was soundly defeated 81-103 by the Suns.

In this game, new signing and starting center Ayton played about 18 minutes, scoring only 1 point along with 8 rebounds and 2 blocks; Bronny shot 1-for-12, finishing with 8 points, 5 boards, and 2 assists; Knecht went 2-for-10, recording 6 points and 6 rebounds...

After the game, Bronny addressed his poor shooting, saying he had good chances but his physical condition wasn’t optimal, causing many shots to fall short.

This 20-year-old, 2024 second-round 25th pick, about to enter his sophomore year, will face greater pressure since he’s no longer a rookie and the public won’t be as forgiving.

Back to Hayes: he rejoined the Lakers this summer on a one-year $3.45 million deal. After Anthony Davis was traded last season, Hayes became the team’s new starting center and showed bright moments. Over the regular season, he averaged 19.5 minutes, 6.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, with a 72.2% shooting percentage; in the playoffs, he averaged 7.8 minutes, 1.8 points, and 2 rebounds per game.

This summer, Hayes added about 18 pounds to improve his physicality, now weighing 218 pounds; last season, Anthony Davis weighed 230 pounds with the Lakers.He’s almost there—just needs to eat the meals Luka and LeBron feed him.

Hayes was born on May 23, 2000, now 25 years old, standing 2.13 meters tall with a 2.22-meter wingspan. His physical gifts, both static and dynamic, are elite, which made him the 8th overall pick in the 2019 first round. Unfortunately, his skills and basketball IQ have yet to improve, but as long as he can finish plays and defend well, he won’t struggle to find a role in today’s league.

Although Ayton is no longer the Lakers’ starting center this season due to his presence, he remains the top choice off the bench and will still get plenty of opportunities to prove himself in his contract year, aiming for a longer and bigger deal next summer.