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PORTLAND, OREGON - NOVEMBER 03: Deandre Ayton #5 reacts after a basket by Nick Smith Jr. #20 of the Los Angeles Lakers against the Portland Trail Blazers at Moda Center on November 03, 2025 in Portland, Oregon. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

The life of a Los Angeles Lakers role player: play well, “Man, he’s a game changer!”, play anything less, “Get him off the team, please!”

Precisely the life of DeAndre Ayton in a fine nutshell. 

He was brought in to fill a major void at the center position, but few seemed genuinely convinced he was the answer to the Lakers’ front court problems. 

The 27-year-old Ayton is a former No. 1 overall pick. But that’s why he sometimes frustrates. He was once seen as the young cornerstone of a team that went to the NBA Finals. But that’s why he sometimes frustrates.

On his best nights, he looks like that dominant centerpiece of a contender. On his worst nights, he looks unplayable. 

And that’s why, ladies and gentlemen, he sometimes frustrates.

Lakers fans see the talent, the skill, the ability. They believe he is capable of doing so much. But too often they don’t like what they see. They begin wondering why. With frustration bordering on anger. 

Ayton wasn’t brought in to push the Lakers from so-so to amazing, he was inked to a deal to provide Luka Doncic an ideal lob threat. Sometimes he’s perfectly like that. Other times he appears a seven-footer at the start of the game to barely six feet by the halfway point of the second quarter. 

(Sigh.) … And that’s why he sometimes frustrates. 

Los Angeles Lakers Coach Changes the Mood on Big Man

The Lakers are ready to lock horns with the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday. It’ll be Game 1 of an enormously daunting best-of-seven series for the road team. 

L.A. was smacked by Oklahoma City in the regular season, losing by an average margin of roughly 29 points in four games. Forget Ayton, no Laker has shown up in any game against the champs so far this season. 

GettyDeandre Ayton revealed that the Thunder’s rowdy fans could make life difficult for the Lakers

It is beginning to feel like the Lakers will need something new, something bold and different if they want to make this a competitive series. 

Could that new and bold factor be Ayton? Could he announce his presence in a way he hasn’t all season … or, really, in a way he hasn’t since arguably his third NBA season? 

Head coach JJ Redick perhaps isn’t buying Ayton’s stock in hopes of beating the Thunder, but the second-year bench boss isn’t prepared to abandon the experiment either.

“D.A.’s had a great season,” Redick said, according to the Orange County Register. “He was instrumental in us getting past Houston. I think his baseline of who he is every day for the last two, two-and-a-half months has been awesome. And I know his teammates, certainly the staff, we’ve all embraced him all season long.”

In the first round win over the Houston Rockets, Ayton was more than the average Laker role player. He averaged a double-double of nearly 12 points and 11 rebounds per game. And he came to play when it really mattered, posting 19 points and 11 rebounds in a much-needed Game 6 win to close out the series. 

Can L.A. Bank on Ayton Against OKC?

The Lakers may want to. They may not want to. But they’ll perhaps have to.

The Thunder — surprise, surprise! — are as formidable in the front court as any team in the league. Heck, which area on the court do they lack? (Take your time.)

Ayton struggled badly in the four regular season games against the Thunder. Averaging less than six points and five rebounds isn’t going to cut it against anyone, let alone the preying Thunder.

Boasting a double-big lineup of Chet Holmgren — the best rim protector in the league, save for that freakishly tall guy in south Texas — and Isaiah Hartenstein, a multi-dimensional center with excellent playmaking skills. 

Ayton is essentially playing one on two in an already losing battle. 

Either the Lakers make a magical adjustment to facilitate more opportunities for Ayton to shine, or he goes back to that typical Lakers role player mentioned earlier. 

Redick still believes, though.