The Los Angeles Lakers return home from their brief, two-game road trip having gone 2-0 with wins against the Minnesota Timberwolves and Memphis Grizzlies. Sunday’s game for the Lakers will be against the Miami Heat, and starting center Deandre Ayton appeared on the team’s injury report.
Deandre Ayton was officially listed as probable on the Lakers’ injury report for their game against the Heat. Ayton was dealing with back spasms during the Lakers’ win against the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday. He exited the game, and while he was available to return, he sat out the remainder of the game as a precaution.
The Lakers came into the offseason in need of a starting caliber center after the Minnesota Timberwolves exposed their frontline. When Ayton and the Portland Trail Blazers agreed to a contract buyout, the Lakers had their man.
Ayton got off to a slow start during the Lakers’ opening night loss to the Golden State Warriors, but bounced back since then. During the Lakers’ first win of the season against the Wolves on Oct. 24, Ayton outplayed Rudy Gobert, holding the four-time Defensive Player of the Year to only two points and seven rebounds, while putting up 15 points and eight rebounds.
He followed that up with a season-high 22 points and 15 rebounds, outplaying Domantas Sabonis in a win against the Sacramento Kings. Ayton outplayed Gobert again as the Lakers beat the Wolves for the second time this season, dropping 17 points and ten rebounds while limiting Gobert to nine point and six rebounds.
Ayton has appeared in all six games for the Lakers this season at a little over 31 minutes per game. He averaged 14.8 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.2 assists with splits of 62.7 percent shooting from the field.
While Jackson Hayes filled in admirably as the Lakers’ starting center following the Anthony Davis trade last year, Hayes has worked best as a reserve, and the team’s center rotation is much improved from last year.
