Deandre Ayton continues to crash out.
The Los Angeles Lakers center Ayton addressed reporters on Thursday night after the team’s game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. While the Lakers cruised to a 120-106 victory at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, Calif., Ayton was still in a foul mood after the game.
During his postgame press conference, Ayton offered little more than one-sentence answers. “It was just good terminology,” “I just played,” and “It was good communication” were among Ayton’s testy responses to the media.
Ayton then closed out his media session by shutting down a question about the Lakers’ momentum after two straight quality wins, saying, “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I don’t know what you mean.”
An odd ending to a presser by Deandre Ayton after @DStarkand asked the starting center about the #Lakers current momentum after two big wins over NYK and MIN: pic.twitter.com/qlywI9NgL7
— Carlos Yakimowich (@CarlosYakJr) March 11, 2026
The former No. 1 overall pick Ayton actually had a strong game on Thursday, scoring 14 points on 7/11 shooting and grabbing 12 rebounds as well. But it has otherwise been a very difficult first season for Ayton in Los Angeles as he has openly expressed frustration with the way that the Lakers are using him.
Many of Ayton’s struggles this year have been self-inflicted as many viral videos have shown just how lazy he looks during certain Lakers’ possessions. With his overall averages of just 12.5 points and 8.3 rebounds per game on the season (both career-low tallies), even some of Ayton’s teammates have seemingly been calling him out lately.
