The Los Angeles Lakers opened their 2025-26 campaign at home. Luka Dončić had a magnificent, 43-point, 12-rebound, nine-assist performance. Austin Reaves added 26 points and nine assists. The vibes should’ve been great.
But L.A. lost, 119-109, to the Golden State Warriors. And if social media is any indication, Lakers fans have already had it with Deandre Ayton.
Just a few months ago, they were elated over the front office adding the recently bought-out big man with their mid-level exception (even if there were some concerns about his effort level at previous stops).
But on opening night, despite playing 34 minutes, Ayton struggled to positively impact the game. He had 10 points, six rebounds and a block. He missed both his free-throw attempts and was minus-four. He became a punchline on X and was trending well into Wednesday morning.
And although it’s only one game, given his history, it’s fair to already wonder: Do the Lakers still have a problem at center?
The answer is probably yes, and we explore why below.
The first issue with Ayton is tough to measure, but you just don’t really feel his presence (at least not in a good way) during a game.
And it’s been this way for years. Over the course of his entire career, he’s barely moved the plus-minus needle. His teams are minus-0.9 points per 100 possessions when he’s on the floor and minus-0.8 when he’s off.
Despite averaging 16.4 points and 10.5 rebounds during his eight seasons, he’s just kind of out there when he’s out there. You almost have to remind yourself he’s in the game, unless it’s one of those rare stretches when his team is force-feeding him the ball (as the Lakers did for a few second-half minutes).
But even on those occasions, Ayton is far too content to turn and face the hoop, maybe give a jab step or two and take a 10-foot jumper.
To his credit, he went 5-of-7 against Golden State, but he didn’t really put any pressure on the defense. DeMarcus Cousins summed up the performance well on Run It Back.
“I need more tenacity, more aggressiveness,” Boogie said. “I need some meanness. Like, show your presence on the floor in some type of way.”
The Lakers need those things, too, especially Luka. Doncic’s most successful bigs with the Dallas Mavericks were great screen-and-roll players who were willing to rim run hard on every possession, regardless of whether or not they were going to get the ball.
Ayton’s previous seven seasons suggest he isn’t likely to play that way. And if he’s happy to recede into the background, L.A. might recede right out of potential contention.
This isn’t entirely Ayton’s fault. Team defensive struggles are rarely the fault of a single player. Perimeter containment is important. Some nights, opponents just shoot a little better around the rim than they do on others.
But on Tuesday, the Warriors were 14-of-21 on shots within five feet of the rim when Ayton was on the floor. He had one block, which is right in line with his mundane (for a center who was drafted first overall) career average of 1.0.
But unlike the previous gripe, this is an area where the Lakers can reasonably expect a little more from Ayton.
Historically, he’s been a good (though maybe not spectacular) defensive rebounder. Over the course of his career, he’s 16th in the league in defensive rebounding percentage.
And defensive impact goes far beyond raw block totals. Ayton is generally in the right spots, moves pretty well laterally for a seven-footer and has never had a negative defensive estimated plus-minus (one of the most trusted catch-all metrics in NBA front offices).
None of that erases his ho-hum performance on Tuesday, but Lakers fans should be able to take at least a little solace in the fact that Ayton is capable of solid defense.
The Potential LeBron Conundrum
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He may not have intended to do this, but LeBron James gave one of the most interesting performances of his career in a game he didn’t even play.
For the first time, he didn’t suit up for the season opener, but that didn’t prevent him from being a story.
On just about every Lakers play, good or bad, he sat still in his chair and with his hands in his lap. When the broadcast cut to closer shots of him on the bench, his expression was typically somewhere between stoic and angry.
Maybe he was just disappointed that an injury kept him out of the action. That’d be fair. But if this was LeBron contemplating his chances of competing for a title this season, performances like Ayton’s on Tuesday probably won’t help much.
Four months after LeBron’s agent, Rich Paul, subtly (and publicly) hinted that the superstar might look for a more “realistic chance of winning it all,” LeBron looked anything but content with his current situation on Tuesday.
If the Lakers and Ayton struggle throughout the sciatica-induced absence of James, this is absolutely going to become a bigger story.
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