It only took half a season for Deandre Ayton to infuriate the Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers benched Deandre Ayton for the final 19 minutes in the 112-104 loss to the Clippers on Thursday night, which is becoming a common theme. The problems the Suns and Blazers faced are surfacing for the purple and gold. Ayton doesn’t always play with energy, struggles to protect the rim, and can be a massive negative on both ends of the floor. Everyone knew this was coming, but it happened sooner than expected.

Ayton wanted to play for a contender, but it hasn’t solved the issues. He puts up strong counting stats, but his performance against the Clippers epitomizes the issues. Ayton had four points, five rebounds, and one block in 21 minutes, but the Lakers were outscored by 14 points with him on the floor. There were several head-scratching plays, and Los Angeles had a massive comeback without him that fell just short.

Everyone is frustrated with Ayton. Since the start of December, the Lakers have outscored by 35 points in his 597 minutes. The Lakers are 10-12 over that stretch and are not looking like serious contenders. They won’t be unless Ayton locks in and is impactful on both ends of the floor. The Lakers can wish all they want, but this story is following the same script as his previous two NBA stops.

Deandre Ayton is infuriating the Lakers

The former number one overall draft pick has immense talent, and fans have seen what he can do when locked in. Los Angeles is undefeated in the 14 games where Ayton has scored 17 or more points. They are 10-1 when he gets 11 or more rebounds. A locked-in Ayton makes the Lakers virtually unstoppable, but that version only appears once every four games.

The purple and gold have been blown out several times this season, and their starting center deserves plenty of blame. He refuses to finish easy looks or challenge shots at the rim. The head-scratching plays were easy to spot on Thursday night at the Intuit Dome.

Lakers head coach JJ Redick had no choice but to glue him to the bench. Ivica Zubac was cooking Ayton in the first half. The Lakers roared back in the second half, but fell just short. If Ayton played with just a bit more energy and effort, the result may have flipped.

Every game counts in the loaded Western Conference. Los Angeles can’t afford to throw any game away, but it will be difficult to win when this version of DA shows up.

There is no easy solution. The seven-footer is in his eighth NBA season, and he has played his way off two franchises already. It is the same issues that keep popping back up. His talent continues to land him opportunities, but he has quickly worn out his welcome in LA.

The Los Angeles Lakers should look to move on before the Feb. 5 trade deadline. Deandre Ayton is not a starting center on a title-contending roster. The Lakers can’t suddenly expect him to lock in when the games matter most. The problems will persist, and it will ruin the season.

Things with Ayton likely get worse before they get better. The Lakers signed up for this. This clearly won’t work. Now it is on Rob Pelinka and the front office to find an upgrade. That is easier said than done, but consider it a must.