The Los Angeles Lakers are set to face the Charlotte Hornets tonight, significantly shorthanded. Apart from starting shooting guard Austin Reaves and rookie forward Adou Thiero, now, yet another key piece in Jaxson Hayes has gone down. Now, head coach JJ Redick is preparing a player who has yet to be used.

Ahead of the game, reporter Dave McMenamin revealed that Redick is expecting 10-day contract guard Kobe Bufkin to contribute. Redick told reporters, “He needs to be ready.”

The coach appears to be indicating minutes for Bufkin, especially given the reduced guard depth around Luka Doncic and LeBron James in Reaves’ absence. Bufkin made his debut for the Lakers against the Atlanta Hawks, where he played during the closing minutes of a blowout win.

Ahead of Bufkin on the shooting guard depth chart for the Lakers tonight are many options, including Marcus Smart, Nick Smith Jr. and Gabe Vincent, but he might still end up getting some run during spot minutes.

Redick previously told the media that over the course of Bufkin’s 10-day, “he’ll have opportunities.” He also credited South Bay Lakers head coach Zach Guthrie for challenging him on the defensive end, which has helped Bufkin’s development as a player.

“The G League game is different, so there’s certain things that Zach does that are a little bit different than we do,” Redick told reporters. “He’s really challenged him on that end. He’s shown he can be engaged and guard.”

If he can truly buy in and be engaged on that end during his tenure in the NBA, he could easily earn himself a longer-term stay with the Purple and Gold. Bufkin seems aware of this reality, previously saying that he has to “stand out somehow,” and being a lockdown defender is perhaps the best way to do so.

JJ Redick’s Lakers get unfortunate Jaxson Hayes update

Lakers backup center Jaxson Hayes is going to be unavailable for the team’s game against the Charlotte Hornets tonight due to soreness in his left hamstring, something that caused him to also miss the team’s previous game.

Before the game against the Hawks, Hayes was ruled out after it was revealed that his hamstring tightened up following the fourth quarter of the team’s game against the Sacramento Kings, and he went through imaging as well. So far, the injury doesn’t seem too serious, but any missed time from the team’s big men worsens their already thin frontcourt.

“He has hamstring tendinopathy,” JJ Redick said before the Hornets game. “Hopefully it’s a short-term thing, and hopefully he’s back at some point this weekend.”

Hayes has been solid for the Lakers this year in a backup role to DeAndre Ayton, averaging 6.4 points and four rebounds across 32 games and four starts in about 17 minutes per game on solid efficiency from the field. He’s on a one-year deal and could potentially earn a bigger contract if he keeps performing well.

His absence just opens up more minutes in the Lakers’ rotation, which should give us some time with Bufkin on the floor.