The Lakers’ performance is linked to Deandre Ayton’s contributions, and the reverse is also true.
ON THE LAUNDRY list of mistakes that led to the Los Angeles Lakers’ heartbreaking defeat against the Orlando Magic on Tuesday, Deandre Ayton’s performance was not among them.
In fact, it was quite the opposite.
The Lakers center recorded 21 points on only 11 field goal attempts and grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds, providing L.A. with a dynamic presence to challenge Orlando’s tough frontcourt featuring Wendell Carter Jr., Paolo Banchero, and Jonathan Isaac.
When asked if his effort was acknowledged by his teammates, resulting in increased opportunities, Ayton offered a measured response.
“The ball finds energy,” Ayton stated to reporters. “They trust me when I’m down there sealing and they notice me sprinting hard to the rim and crashing, they reward me.”
This marked Ayton’s first 20-10 game in almost a month and, for him, a testament to the role he should frequently assume with the Lakers.
As he concluded his remarks to the media, Ayton headed back toward the showers and expressed his true feelings — loud enough for anyone still in the locker room to hear.
“They’re trying to make me Clint Capela,” Ayton remarked, referencing the Houston Rockets’ current backup center, who made his mark a decade ago as a lob-catching, rim-running big man on a team that reached two conference finals.
“I’m not no Clint Capela!”
While the main narrative following the loss focused on Luka Doncic passing up an open shot in the final moments to instead pass to LeBron James for a last-second attempt, little attention was given to how Doncic initially got that open look.
After the timeout, Ayton executed his role in Lakers coach JJ Redick’s play flawlessly, moving from the backcourt to the left wing and positioning himself to set a solid screen on the Magic’s Anthony Black, allowing Doncic to receive the ball cleanly beyond the three-point line.
Being a screen setter in critical moments is not typically expected from a player who was the No. 1 pick in the 2018 draft — two spots ahead of his current teammate Doncic, three ahead of Jaren Jackson Jr., four ahead of Trae Young, ten ahead of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and 32 before Jalen Brunson. However, Ayton has not established himself as a go-to star. Instead, he has developed a reputation as a talented yet unserious player, known for jokingly performing cartwheels in the locker room and vanishing on the court for extended periods.
Marcus Smart, who also joined L.A. as a free agent last summer and whose locker is adjacent to Ayton’s, recognized the potential for improvement.
“I think he’s done OK,” Smart commented this week. “He definitely could be better; we all could. But what I appreciate is that he recognizes it and is putting in the effort. We’re all trying to figure this out; it’s new for everyone. He’s doing his best, but he knows he needs to elevate his game, and we’re here to assist him with that. But he understands he must contribute as well.”
Or perhaps most crucially, if he can embrace the role the Lakers expect him to fulfill.
THERE WAS LESS than an hour before tipoff against the Atlanta Hawks on January 13 when Ayton entered the Lakers’ locker room.
Just inside the entrance, Ayton’s relaxed stride slowed, and his movement became awkward for a few steps before he unexpectedly fell to the floor.
What could have been one of the more unusual pregame injuries in NBA history transformed into something entirely different: Ayton caught himself by placing both hands over his head and executed a cartwheel, followed by a somersault, landing safely on his feet.
“I hope that made y’all day!” Ayton exclaimed to the room after completing the maneuver. “That was a 7-footer, 260 [pounds], that just did a cartwheel!”
The Willy Wonka-like entrance was nearly as remarkable as the circumstances that led to the former No. 1 pick joining the Lakers last summer.
The intentional fall showcased the raw athletic ability that made Ayton the top selection of the Phoenix Suns — and highlighted a questionable reputation that has followed him throughout his NBA career.
Early in his career, he sometimes adopted different personas when addressing the media — “Alejandro,” who spoke with an accent, was a favorite; “Josh,” whose mood could shift rapidly, was another — sources informed ESPN. He would occasionally maintain these characters when interacting with players and coaches. During his time with the Portland Trail Blazers, where he played from 2023 to 2025, he notoriously missed a home game against the Brooklyn Nets because he failed to prepare for the commute to the arena amid a cold forecast and was reportedly stuck in his neighborhood due to snow and icy conditions.
However, when a player possesses a standing reach of 9-foot-3, a wingspan of 7-foot-5, and a 43-inch vertical leap, certain behaviors can be overlooked as quirks rather than condemned as unprofessional.
AUSTIN REAVES, SLOWLY recovering from a left calf strain, took a break from his individual skill work and settled into a courtside seat at Ball Arena. As he inhaled the thin Denver air, his gaze was fixed on a teammate working hard to prepare for the game.
It was a week after the Hawks game — the night that began with Ayton’s acrobatics and concluded with him scoring 17 points on 7-for-9 shooting and 18 rebounds — and the big man was consistently making midrange shots as the Lakers prepared to face the team that ended their seasons in 2023 and 2024.
“That guy right there is the X factor,” Reaves remarked to ESPN, pointing to Ayton. “He changes our ceiling.”
Ayton’s performance this season has been successful by various metrics.
The Lakers hold a 16-3 record when Ayton attempts at least 10 field goals, but this statistic comes with a significant caveat: Only three of those games occurred when James, Doncic, and Reaves were also in the lineup. There were more opportunities available.
He is averaging 13.2 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 0.9 blocks per game. He has participated in 49 games, making him the second-most available player on the team, trailing only Jake LaRavia.
While he is averaging a career-low 9.0 field goal attempts, he is shooting a career-best 66.7% from the field. This is the second-best percentage in the NBA, behind the Minnesota Timberwolves’ Rudy Gobert, and, if maintained, would be the highest by any Laker for a season since Wilt Chamberlain in 1972-73.
However, his impact is evaluated relative to expectations, much like his team.
Consider a hypothetical: Team A is 11 games over .500 in the most competitive conference in the most competitive basketball league in the world after its top three players were on the court together for only 13 of the first 57 games. A success story, without a doubt.
But when the Lakers label is applied and the star power of James, Doncic, and Reaves is factored in, it becomes less impressive, regardless of context.
The same applies to Ayton, whose draft status and early playoff achievements in Phoenix — aiding the Suns in reaching their first NBA Finals in nearly three decades at age 22 — set the benchmark he must surpass to be viewed as fulfilling his potential.
“As a first pick,” a Western Conference scout told ESPN, “he’s largely underachieved.”
THE 2025-26 SEASON began with optimism for Ayton. He recorded 20 and 10 in six of the Lakers’ first 15 games, including victories against teams with elite big men like San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama and Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo.
However, the Lakers then went 4-7 from December 20 through January 12, and Ayton’s momentum came to a halt as well.
After scoring just four points on 2-for-4 shooting on January 2 against the Memphis Grizzlies, Ayton expressed a rare complaint.
“Bigs can’t feed themselves,” he stated.
Redick — who has remained a supporter behind the scenes, sources close to Ayton informed ESPN — took the feedback in stride. In a rematch with Memphis two nights later, Redick called the first play for Ayton, and the early score propelled him to 15 points, eight rebounds, and three blocks for the game.
“It’s a tale as old as time for a big guy,” Redick remarked. “That’s the reality of being a big: Someone has to pass you the ball. You’re not initiating the offense.”
There is also an ego necessary to thrive on the NBA stage. Similar to James’ “CHOSEN 1” tattoo that spans from shoulder to shoulder, Ayton has “DOMINAYTON” inked in jagged capital letters across his upper back.
The Lakers have nurtured that ego as well: Rob Pelinka, team president of basketball operations and general manager, commissioned a black T-shirt with a gold screen print depicting half of a lion’s face and half of Ayton’s face that he presented to the 27-year-old. Members of the training staff wrap Ayton’s water bottle in athletic tape and write “DA’s Crunk Juice — Drink this to unleash the beast” in black marker on it before games.
The challenge for the Lakers is getting Ayton to invest as much in the grind and his role as he does in scoring points.
“When he’s at his best, and we’ve seen it, we’ve seen glimpses of it, he’s playing with force,” a team source told ESPN. “And that’s playing with great force on both ends of the floor when it comes to screening. Then rolling and putting pressure on the rim; [when the] shot goes up, crashing the glass; sprinting back in transition; loading to the basketball; calling out your communication; being in the right positioning; contesting shots; boxing out. Those tasks for a big are often thankless when you’re a skilled big. But on this team, that’s what his role is.
“He has to be a dirt worker.”
Among all the dirty work Ayton has been assigned, he has excelled as a screener. He has set 15.7 on-ball screens per game for Doncic — the third most among duos that have run 200 or more plays together this season, according to ESPN Research. He has also averaged 3.7 screen assists — a pick that directly leads to a player making a field goal — this season, the fourth most in the league.
“He does a great job creating contact and knocking defenders off to allow our playmakers to make plays,” a team source told ESPN. “And it’s something that, frankly, he’s been pretty committed to.”
Team sources informed ESPN that when Ayton brings energy to these responsibilities, the big man earns more minutes and, consequently, receives the ball from his teammates more frequently.
When he does not, the difference is noticeable.
“He picks and chooses when he wants to lock in and play,” the Western scout added. “Which is not what most dominant centers do.”
AYTON SPENT THE All-Star break in his native Bahamas, rehabilitating the right knee soreness that caused him to miss two games.
On his return to L.A., he was briefly detained at Lynden Pindling International Airport in Nassau for “a very small amount of marijuana [that] wasn’t in Deandre’s bag,” his lawyer, Devard Francis, informed Reuters.
Ayton was quickly released, according to Francis, and sources told ESPN he returned to L.A. without missing any team activities. The Lakers view the situation as a misunderstanding and have moved on from it, a source familiar with the organization’s perspective stated.
In his first practice back with the team, he met all the expectations of the coaching staff.
“He was in pretty good shape,” a team source said. “He was spirited. He had a good disposition.”
This positive energy carried over to the Lakers’ first game after the break, a 125-122 victory over the LA Clippers, where Ayton provided the highlight of the night by sprinting down the court and soaring through the air to complete an alley-oop from James. He also played a significant role in the closing moments, participating in 10 out of 12 minutes in the fourth quarter and being the only Lakers starter with a positive plus-minus in that period, finishing the game with 13 points, seven rebounds, and a block.
“DA was great,” Redick remarked. “Very engaged, and just was able to execute our defensive game plan at a really high level.”
However, in the Lakers’ subsequent game — a 111-89 defeat to the rival Boston Celtics, with purple and gold legends such as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, and James Worthy present for Pat Riley’s statue ceremony — Ayton recorded as many fouls as points (four) and played just three minutes in the fourth quarter.
This presents the Lakers’ Ayton dilemma, one that the Suns and Blazers faced and ultimately moved on from — engaged and effective one night, disengaged and absent the next.
During the team’s film session on Monday to analyze the Boston loss, Redick praised Ayton for his defensive presence, particularly for his execution during the team’s switches, but he also pointed out areas where Ayton’s effort was lacking.
“There was a clip,” Redick noted, “Jaylen Brown goes to the floor. We’ve got a 5-on-4 and [Ayton] goes at about 20% speed, where it’s clearly a man-down situation. So in terms of him running and putting pressure on the rim and offensive rebounding, particularly against switches and smaller players, he could improve there.”
Ayton was far from the sole reason for the loss on a day when James, Doncic, and Reaves combined to shoot 22-for-53 (41.5%). And Redick, understandably, was merely attempting to find a spark when he experimented with different personnel late in the game.
“I have his back,” Redick said of Ayton. “These guys, we try to make them understand my job is to help the Lakers try to win basketball games. And so nothing is ever personal.”
Now, as the sixth-place Lakers approach a critical phase of the season with 25 games remaining, so too does Ayton.
If the Lakers make a playoff push and Ayton fulfills his role, his decision to forfeit $10 million of his $35.6 million salary with the Blazers for the 2025-26 season to become a free agent could result in a new, multiyear contract this summer in L.A. or elsewhere. However, if they falter, Ayton’s contributions, or lack thereof, will be scrutinized by everyone around the league.
This creates a precarious situation. For the Lakers to succeed, every player must fulfill their role. Yet if the Lakers struggle, every player, including Ayton, will naturally feel the urge to focus on their own future contracts.
It’s what Ayton expressed he desired at his introductory news conference in July. And now that aspiration will truly be put to the test.
“It’s a platform that I cannot run from,” Ayton stated. “I can show what I really am … [There] is a lot of fuel in me to prove to the whole world.”
ESPN’s Matt Williams contributed to this report.
