"Is a dog," the young player that has impressed Jaxson Hayes, is not Jalen Hood-Schifino

The 2023 NBA Draft pick for the Lakers, Jalen Hood-Schifino has been stealing the attention of the coaching staff and his teammates in the first days of training camp, but Jaxson Hayes, another young Laker has been the player that has been impressing him the most.

This season, one of the returning players who is set to have a bigger role this campaign compared to last season is the now-sophomore Max Christie, who spent most of his rookie year on the bench.

This time around, Christie is set to become the prime backup player for the Lakers star LeBron James, as he impressed in the Summer League and also gained weight to become more competitive.

Jaxson Hayes was asked if anybody has impressed him thus far that he wasn't necessarily expecting and spoke highly of Max Christie: "Max Christie. Max Christie is a dog. His game has stood out a lot to me. His game has surprised me a lot."

Max Christie will be battling with Cam Reddish for LeBron James' backup role

The Lakers sophomore Max Christie is set to be LeBron James' first backup, but Cam Reddish is the second option and both players will be battling for that role beyond training camp.