Utah Jazz backup big man Jaxson Hayes was already expected to play a pivotal role this season.

Now he may be even more important.

Projected starting center Jusuf Nurkic will miss at least four weeks with a partial plantar plate tear in the second toe of his right foot. He suffered the injury during Utah’s first preseason game against the Denver Nuggets on Oct. 4.

That means Nurkic will miss at least eight regular-season games.

Hayes isn’t exactly worried about an increased role.

“It’s the next-man-up mentality,” he said. “I dealt with some of these issues in LA, so just staying prepared and being a professional. Everybody has got to be ready, so just going to come do my job.”

After spending the last three seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers, Hayes signed a two-year contract with the Jazz this summer. It was a controversial signing for some in the fanbase. Hayes had dealt with some legal issues in the past, stemming from a domestic dispute involving his girlfriend.

Ultimately, Hayes pleaded no contest to misdemeanor charges of false imprisonment and resisting an officer. He was sentenced to three years of probation, 450 hours of community service and a year of weekly domestic violence classes.

The Jazz looked into the case before bringing him onto the team.

“We’ve done a lot of background research,” Jazz president of basketball operations Austin Ainge told The Tribune. “He’s been a model citizen before and after. … He’s been great since he’s been here.”

Hayes started alongside Jaren Jackson Jr. in Utah’s preseason game on Tuesday. He scored 7 points and added four rebounds.

The pair showed some promise on the defensive end, too.

“I really like it,” Hayes said of his dynamic with Jackson. “I’m excited to play with him and Lauri [Markkanen]; I get to play with some other bigs. I haven’t really gotten to do it too much, so I’m just really excited to see how that goes.”

Hayes’ value on offense mostly comes as a lob threat, and he showed good chemistry with the Jazz guards in the preseason pick-and-roll. Expect to see plenty of that in the coming weeks.

Hayes ranked in the 98th percentile in two-point percentage last year. In fact, he’s ranked in the 98th or 99th percentile in two-point percentage in each of the last three seasons. Part of that, of course, was playing alongside superstar Luka Doncic.

But he’s started to build a rapport with the Utah guards. A team source told the Tribune that he and guard Isaiah Collier have showcased a good connection in training camp.

Collier isn’t the only guard, either. At media day, Peterson mentioned he and Hayes have gotten close.

“It’s been great,” Hayes said of playing with the Utah guards. “They are all really athletic, smart guys with great basketball knowledge, so it’s been good to give some of my advice and just stuff they asked me about, just be able to help them out a bit.”

Hayes and the Jazz will return to preseason action on Monday against the San Antonio Spurs. His likely matchup? None other than star phenom Victor Wembanyama.