The Los Angeles Lakers have gotten everything they hoped for and more from Deandre Ayton through the early going of the 2025-26 season.
Ayton signed with the Lakers in free agency after being bought out by the Portland Trail Blazers, but he has taken the starting center job in stride. Criticized for not always giving his best effort on both ends in Portland, Ayton has been engaged in Los Angeles and is looking like the player that the Phoenix Suns drafted first overall in he 2018 NBA Draft.
Unfortunately, Ayton was forced out of the Lakers’ recent game against the Utah Jazz with a knee contusion. Ayton suffered the injury in the first quarter after Ace Bailey collided with his knee.
Ayton was ruled out for the team’s game against the L.A. Clippers, but head coach JJ Redick expressed optimism that the center won’t be forced to miss too much time.
“He got hit on his knee. MRI was clean other than just some swelling and a little bit of a bruise,” Redick said. “So don’t think it’s gonna be a long-term thing and hopefully it’s a game to game thing and he’s back at some point by the end of the week.”
It’s obviously good news that Ayton avoided a serious injury, especially considering he has struggled to stay healthy in recent years. The Lakers have been cautious with all their players when it comes to injuries, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see them slow play Ayton’s return until he is 100 percent ready to go.
Without Ayton, Redick will need to lean more heavily on players like Jaxson Hayes and Maxi Kleber to soak up the center minutes. Newly-signed two-way player Drew Timme could also factor into the equation, or Redick could go smaller and play Jarred Vanderbilt in spurts.
The Lakers have shown they can still win games even when they’re shorthanded, but their lack of center depth is concerning. If Ayton were to ever miss significant time, it would place a heavy burden on the rest of the roster so it might be smart to explore the trade market for depth and reinforcements.
JJ Redick says Lakers want Deandre Ayton to be a lion
JJ Redick has poured into Deandre Ayton and the center has repaid his head coach’s trust with strong two-way play. When it comes to motivating Ayton, Redick noted that he and the Lakers want the big man to play like a lion on the court.
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