Another injury has hit the Lakers’ roster with Deandre Ayton hurting his left eye in the middle of LA’s road game against Denver.
Ayton suffered the injury during the first half and did not return at the start of the third quarter. Initially, the Lakers listed him as questionable to return, but he was officially ruled out of the contest at the start of the fourth quarter.
Ayton is LA’s starting center and was in the middle of a very solid performance against the Nuggets with four points and eight rebounds. With Ayton out, the Lakers will rely on Jaxson Hayes and two-way forward Drew Timme to provide them with enough size to compete with the Denver bigs.
Ayton has been relatively healthy this year. He has played in 37 of LA’s 42 games. Recently, Ayton missed a game against the Blazers due to left knee soreness.
On the season, Ayton is averaging 14.2 points and 8.8 rebounds per game. The Lakers will have to provide an update later to let us know whether this is a serious injury that will force him to miss additional games or if he can return immediately.
The Lakers have just started an eight-game road trip, so it would be best for the purple and gold if Ayton can suit up and play in those upcoming contests.
Los Angeles is currently in a play-in position, and a successful road trip could help them get back into the top six in the Western Conference.
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