LOS ANGELES — The Lakers’ already depleted frontcourt took another hit with their latest injury.

The team announced ahead of Wednesday’s home game against the Memphis Grizzlies that backup center Jaxson Hayes suffered a sprained left ankle during Tuesday’s practice — a play coach JJ Redick described as a “freak play” — and will be re-evaluated in about 1-2 weeks.

Hayes has averaged 6.3 points and 4.6 rebounds in 17.5 minutes through 10 games (one start) as the primary backup center to All-Star Anthony Davis.

Hayes was coming off two of his best games of the season: eight points and four blocked shots in 16 minutes in Friday’s home win against the Philadelphia 76ers; and 12 points, six rebounds and a blocked shot in 21 minutes in Sunday’s victory over the Toronto Raptors, in which Hayes played 14 of the final 17 1/2 minutes after Davis exited the game with a left eye injury.

“Feel for Jaxson, especially coming off the last two games that he had for us,” Redick said. “(He) was (playing) against coaches. And he didn’t even land on an ankle. It was just an awkward kind of fall and an ankle rolled. There was no contact.

“I’m bummed for Jaxson. Talked to him (on Wednesday). He’s in good spirits. He recognizes his importance for our team.”

The Lakers were already down several bodies in their frontcourt, with Christian Wood (offseason left knee surgery) and Jarred Vanderbilt (offseason feet surgery) sidelined, leaving two-way center Christian Koloko as the only available big man behind Davis.

“We’re gonna (rely) on Christian Koloko to fill those minutes and depending on matchups, there may be opportunities to play small,” Redick said. “But we’re very confident and comfortable with Christian.”

Redick said on Tuesday that Wood, who had his second left knee surgery of 2024 on Sept. 9, would be re-evaluated in about four weeks after experiencing soreness during his return-to-play ramp-up.

Koloko made his Lakers debut in a Nov. 6 road loss to the Grizzlies after not playing in an NBA game for the previous 19 months.

He was medically cleared for basketball activities by the NBA’s Fitness-to-Play Panel in late October, allowing him to practice and play for the first time since being referred to the league’s panel because of blood clot issues last season.

The 7-foot Koloko, who has a 7-5 wingspan, finished with two points, two rebounds and a blocked shot in 13 minutes last week against the Grizzlies and played for one minute in the non-competitive portion of the victory over the 76ers.

“To fill, in some ways, the role that Jaxson has,” Redick said of what the team will look for from Koloko. “Which is be a defensive presence, know our coverages. You watch it on tape from the Memphis game, he’s got a real presence in terms of his length. His presentation — even just sprinting back on defense — he’s always got his arms out, he’s talking.

“Be a vertical threat. Be a rim threat. Be a screener. Jaxson, for us internally looking at last year, talking to him over the summer, being with him in the gym in preseason, we put such an emphasis on Jaxson on forcing overs. He’s gotten a lot better at that. We need Christian to continue to sort of fill that role.”