Deandre Ayton goes MISSING in NYC

I guess to go missing means you were there at some point, in some fashion. Deandre Ayton was in full force in the first quarter of the game vs the New York Knicks at MSG. He scored 4 of the Lakers first six points both on alley oops - including one beautiful no look pass from Marcus Smart. He finished the first quarter with 9 points and 4 rebounds on 4-4 shooting which the Lakers lead after one on the road 33-27.

I'm not sure what happened from there, but to be on pace for 36 points 12 rebounds after one, one would think you are on your way to at minimum a 15 point 10 rebound game - at minimum. Or get at least 4 more shots at the rim. Not Ayton. He finished the game taking 2 more FGA's. Finishing the game 6-6 for 13 points, 5 rebounds and 3 personal fouls in 32 minutes of mostly underwhelming action. So after a dominayton (his words) first quarter start he contributed all of 4 points and 1 one rebound and was no presence defensively. The Knicks got to the hole at WILL in the 2nd half, it was a food bank free for all - not all Ayton's fault. But he's our inside presence so he's primarily accountable. Prior to the game I pointed out an interesting stat, the Lakers are 13-1 this year when Deandre Ayton attempts 11 or more FG - which still stands we lost this game and he took a measly 6 FGA's which puts the lakers record at 16-18 when he takes less, so which Ayton can we count on? (If he's here through the trade deadline). A better question is WHY the variance in performances. In his last 8 games he has two 25 point plus 13 rebound games (one with 3 blocks) all NBA performances on ridiculous shooting percentages. In the other six games in the sample his averages are 7.6 PPG and 5.9 RPG. What the hell is that about?

Now im surely not here to bash DA because truth be told we NEED DA. (Or another center) but we can't afford to have him on the roster and LOSE him. That's the end of the season as we know it. We all remember what Jaxson Hayes alone in the post season does for a hopeful roster. My point of this story is to bring light to the gap in production, and ask why? Last night he played 32 minutes and after the first quarter it didn't seem like he was even on the court. Is he being phased out of the offense? I dont believe so but I do feel it's a combination of Ayton not being aggressive enough to his spots on offense, having defensive lulls where he wont even contest a shot as the on ball defender and just general occasional confusion (not to Dalton Knecht levels) but definitely gets lost at times. I feel it's the responsiblity of Luka Doncic and LeBron James (also Reaves) to not force the ball to Ayton but to make sure he stays engaged and invovled as his offensive output does effect his defensive effort. Keep him somewhere around 12-15 FGA every game to feel that he has a role in the offense as you can do this without running plays for him. I have a real feeling that if we do our best to keep Deandre Ayton happy the Lakers will be better off for it. If there's not a trade coming then we must figure it out ASAP. Remember 13-1 when Ayton shoots the ball 11 times, now I’m more a 2pac kind of guy but in the words of Shawn Corey Carter - Men Lie, Women Lie, Numbers DONT!

Written by Malcolm Xavier of The Lakers Room