Marcus Smart talked to the media about Deandre Ayton’s struggles after the Los Angeles Lakers lost to the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena, 113-120. He addressed Ayton’s absence from the game, as the Lakers’ center only played for five minutes. Afterwards, it was reported that Ayton was out due to left knee soreness.
The Nuggets have tied the season series with the Lakers, 1-1. Jaxson Hayes played most of the minutes, scored 19 points, and grabbed five rebounds in 27 minutes.
Ayton will be examined before the next game, and the team might decide to rest him before the playoffs to keep the starters healthy. After the loss, Lakers defensive guard Marcus Smart assessed the situation with the Lakers’ starting center and said:
“He’s down. It sucked for him not to be out there in the game. He tried to go and it just didn’t feel right for him and it sucks…I know as of lately he’s been getting a lot of backlash for his effort and his play. He understands it. I know it might not seem like it, but he does and he wants to do good and he wants to help this team and I think that’s what more frustrating for him, because he’s trying.”
Ayton, who is averaging career-low numbers, is scoring 12.6 points and 8.2 rebounds per game. His offensive struggles have kept him under scrutiny from fans. A lot of the Lakers’ woes can be attributed to that issue, which the team management looked to solve when they decided to bring the 2018 first overall draft pick to the squad. However, the trick has not yet worked.
Deandre Ayton and the Lakers’ center issues
The Lakers faced a major issue due to the lack of a starting center last season. The team management needed to put a lob threat with Luka Doncic, and they decided to bring the Slovenian’s draft partner to the squad. However, the problem is still as big.
Ayton played some good games in the initial stages of the season, but the Lakers are once again looking like a 2024-25 team, without a center, and bad at defense. If they want to surpass the playoff hurdle, Ayton will have to come up with some good games.
The team has a 37-25 record and is placed fifth in the Western Conference. Doncic has had an MVP-esque season, but the Lakers still don’t seem to be in sync.
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