The Los Angeles Lakers only got five minutes from Deandre Ayton before a knee injury ended his night in a 120-113 loss to the Denver Nuggets. The big man's absence allowed head coach JJ Redick to start the second half with Jaxson Hayes at the five and to go small in the second unit. LA’s ideal rotation features Hayes and no true center when the big man needs a break. Without Ayton, there is more freedom to lean into those groups.
The Lakers' starting center was disastrous when he was on the floor on Thursday night. Ayton had two rebounds and missed his only field goal as Los Angeles was outscored by 13 points to open the game. The seven-footer was quickly sent to the bench and never returned. Fans were questioning what happened as the purple and gold didn’t rule him out until after halftime.
Ayton was struggling hard before the injury, and coach Redick kept decreasing his minutes. The Lakers need every victory to make the playoffs. It has meant keeping DA off the floor in crunch time, and his injury allowed Los Angeles to lean into better options.
Deandre Ayton’s knee injury gives Lakers a chance to play their best units
The Lakers want Ayton to play like Clint Capela, but the big man has refused to accept that role. He was to be DominAyton. Los Angeles has zero reason to feature the big man with Luka Doncic, LeBron James, and Austin Reaves on their roster. They need Ayton to be a rim protector and lob threat, but he just won’t do it.
Jaxson Hayes has zero issues accepting that role. He is happy rolling to the rim and catching lobs. Hayes finished with 19 points, five rebounds, and two assists in 27 minutes against the Nuggets. He made eight of his ten field goals as the Lakers outscored Denver by seven with him on the floor.
In the second unit, LA was using Rui Hachimura or LeBron James at the five. Those small ball groupings let the purple and gold space the floor and have an elite offense. Defense and rebounding are issues, but it doesn’t matter if the Lakers can outscore the opposition. They were unstoppable against the Nuggets, but lost because of that disastrous start with Ayton in the game.
Redick should have benched Ayton for Jaxson Hayes long ago. Los Angeles doesn’t need another star. They must have a big man who does the dirty work and helps their stars succeed. Hayes does just that, but Ayton is too busy trying to do his own thing.
Nobody wanted to see DA get hurt. Hopefully, he makes a speedy recovery, but this is Redick’s chance to make the switch. It should be Hayes starting and playing the majority of the minutes. He is not an elite center, but fit matters in the NBA. Hayes is the superior option for the Lakers, and it’s not even close.
The Los Angeles Lakers were without Deandre Ayton after his first five-minute stint against the Nuggets. This opened the door for head coach JJ Redick to play Jaxson Hayes more and get additional small-ball reps. Those are the Lakers' best chances to win in the playoffs, and it is time to bench Ayton. Fans saw it again on Thursday night. His inconsistency is crushing, and every win matters. This is the perfect opportunity to make the move.