Los Angeles Lakers center Deandre Ayton started the 2025-26 season strongly on both sides of the floor, but he has recently seen a dip in production across the board.
Lakers head coach JJ Redick has been forced to close games with Jaxson Hayes as of late because of Ayton’s performance, though he’s finally started to show signs of life again. Following the loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, Ayton made it a point to prove that he’s deserving of his starting spot with a dominant performance in the Lakers’ win against the Washington Wizards.
The Wizards are an undersized group, so Ayton was able to use his size and physicality to score easily at the rim. He wound up with a double-double of 28 points and 13 rebounds on 12-of-14 shooting and was a perfect 4-of-4 from the free throw line.
After the win, LeBron James said he and Los Angeles are responsible for keeping Ayton involved and praised him for his performance against the Wizards, via Spectrum SportsNet:
“It’s our job to feed him. Feed the beast. Tonight, he was very active, he was 12-for-14, converted everything in the paint pretty much. He started off with good energy, was dunking a lot too, that’s great for us, and rebounding. When he’s rebounding, it gives us an opportunity to get out and play fast. He’s been key for our wins, for sure.”
James made it a point to look for Ayton every time down the floor, passing it in early transition or finding him rolling to the rim for lobs. Ayton has been the best pick-and-roll partner for the Lakers’ stars and he rewarded both Luka Doncic and James with great finishes at the rim against Washington.
When Ayton is engaged on both ends of the floor, Los Angeles’ offense can operate at its best while the defense can hold up just enough. The Lakers could still use more size and physicality behind him and Jaxson Hayes, but for now the big man seems to be rounding the corner.
The purple and gold need Ayton at his best on both ends of the floor to win games against better competition, so the game on Sunday against the New York Knicks will be a good test.
JJ Redick emphasizes Lakers must continue to keep Deandre Ayton involved
JJ Redick seems to have the Lakers offense running efficiently as of late, and some of that is due to Ayton’s resurgence. Redick acknowledged the team needs to keep Ayton involved offensively if they want to be successful on that end of the floor.
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