Deandre Ayton's inconsistency has enraged Los Angeles Lakers fans all season long. But Ayton has totally delivered in the last two games for LA. Deandre finished Game 5 with 18 points, 17 rebounds, and two blocks, following a 19 & 10 performance in Game 4.
The Lakers lost both games, and in doing so, wasted an Ayton rarity -- nay, an Ayton miracle -- of the unfocused center locking in for two consecutive games.
Ayton was good in Game 1, too: 19 points, 11 rebounds on 8-of-10 from the field. He's given the Lakers three productive games out of five in this series (unthinkable!), and yet LA failed to capitalize on this gift from the basketball gods. It might end up costing them the series.
Lakers wasted Deandre Ayton's surprising production, and it might doom them
This series now feels like it's going seven. Houston's confidence is surging, and there's no reason why the Rockets can't win Game 6 at home. Luke Kennard looks to have used up all of his good performances earlier in the series. LeBron James can only do so much, and he must be exhausted. Austin Reaves is back, but he's not 100 percent.
If the Lakers had taken care of business in Game 5, we'd be talking about Ayton as the stunning X-factor of this improbable series win. Instead, Ayton, like Kennard, may be out of level-ups from this point forward, leaving LA nakedly exposed to the possibility of a series loss.
Can the Lakers really expect Ayton to maintain this level of production? Of course not. If you had told JJ Redick before the series that he'd have a 3-0 series lead, and that Deandre would have two of his best performances of the season in Games 4 and 5, Redick would have jumped for joy.
Lakers now desperately need Deandre Ayton to be someone he's not
Houston forward Jabari Smith Jr. turned heads ahead of Game 5 when he declared that the Rockets are the better team in this series. The Rockets backed up his statement with their performance on Wednesday night, and Luka Doncic isn't walking out onto that court in a Game 6 or Game 7 to shift the personnel advantage in LA's favor.
The Lakers would suddenly seem outmatched talent-wise, if not for Ayton's emergence. If he can carry this form into Game 6, the Lakers have a real shot. The problem is, Ayton's entire career (and most recently, his 2025-26 season) suggest that he's about to revert to the mean. Something like his 2-point, 6-rebound disappearing act in Game 3 will likely manifest in Game 6.
But the Lakers shouldn't feel sorry for themselves if Ayton doesn't show up in Houston. He's already delivered far more than expected in this series, and they didn't take advantage. Now, they might end up paying the hideous cost of blowing a 3-0 first-round lead.
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