It was only a few games ago that Deandre Ayton was forced to miss time due to a knee injury. There was a moment in the fourth quarter that provided a collective gulp amid an otherwise comfortable 133-121 win for the Los Angeles Lakers over the New Orleans Pelicans.
Amid a dominant display, Ayton's knee took a hit and forced some awkward movement from the Lakers starting center. It was an immediate sour note on an otherwise strong performance that featured 22 points, 12 rebounds, and four blocks.
Luckily for the Lakers and their fans, Ayton was not too stressed about the severity of the damage. The starting center was asked about the moment after the game was over, and immediately dismissed the concerns about his knee.
"He kind of tweaked my little collision I had the other day in Utah. JJ [Redick] said he was going to sub me out regardless, so it was good timing," Ayton told reporters. "It cooled down after the game, so I'm good now. ... It wasn't anything crazy. I just really felt it right there."
Deandre Ayton injury could have caused serious panic in Los Angeles
Let out the sigh of relief Lakers fans. It's all going to be okay.
With just how good Ayton has been in 2025-26, losing him for a large portion of time would have hurt the team significantly. Tweaking an already existing injury typically ends in that type of unfortunate result. Luckily for the Lakers, they got out of there unscathed.
Ayton has averaged 16.0 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks in 29.5 minutes per game for Los Angeles during his 17 games of the season thus far. The former first overall pick is shooting a career high 71.0 percent on his field goal attempts.
The stabilizing force that has been provided by Ayton is something the Lakers craved mightily after a turbulent 2024-25 season in the frontcourt. There should be no desire to return to those type of circumstances.
Jaxson Hayes has performed admirably as the backup center this season. However, thrusting him back into full-time starting minutes for a prolonged stretch would have been far from ideal for the Lakers.
Injuries have had a role in the career of Ayton to this point. Prior to this season with the Lakers, four of his seven seasons had him playing less than 60 games. Los Angeles will need their key contributor to be available for as many outings as they can get out of him.