The Lakers have gotten off to a fantastic start this season, hovering near the top of the Western Conference despite a prolonged absence by LeBron James to start the year. There’s been a lot for Lakers fans to like, from Luka Doncic’s fulfillment of his “Skinny Luka” promise to Austin Reaves evolving into an All-Star capable of carrying the team’s scoring load and then some when LeBron and/or Luka are out.
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Deandre Ayton may not be as explosive a player as his three more noticeable teammates, but he’s been integral to the Lakers’ success, as well. Last year, head coach JJ Redick didn’t have a starting-caliber center to deploy after the team traded Anthony Davis for Luka. Now, he has the former No. 1 overall pick anchoring the paint.
Ayton has been exactly what the Lakers have needed, and last night against the Sixers, he was great again. He was a perfect 7-7 from the field and grabbed 12 rebounds for his 10th double-double of the year, and he helped hold his counterpart, Joel Embiid, to an ugly 4-21 stat line.
After the game, Redick praised Ayton’s defensive effort as one of the biggest reasons the team was able to get a road trip-ending win.
“I thought DA in particular lead that on the end of the floor for us. We just talked about it in the locker room, he did a ton of stuff, he was in drop being disruptive. He was getting loose balls. His blocking shots. He was switching on to Maxey. Whatever we needed him to do on… pic.twitter.com/E6Mjtknx66
— (@PurpGolded) December 8, 2025
Ayton is a funny guy, and his unique, unassuming personality has really given the Lakers a counterbalance to the superstar gravity of LeBron and Luka. Told after the game that Redick loved the game he played, he looked genuinely confused and said, “I’mma be real, I don’t know what he talking about.”
When asked if he felt like he played well defensively, Ayton said “No … I don’t know. I just do what I have to do. I thank him, but I don’t know what I did out there.”
Just in the last five minutes of the game, Ayton blocked a VJ Edgecombe layup attempt, assisted on a huge LeBron James 3-pointer, and stole the ball from Tyrese Maxey. This sure seems to be a case of him not wanting any of the spotlight, even though he deserved it after playing such a superb game.
Even if Ayton won’t take credit for his effort, his coach and anyone else who watched the game are more than happy to do it for him. If he can continue being such a steady presence, there’s no reason the Lakers can’t keep their brilliant start to the season going.
