Deandre Ayton is not exactly doing anything to mitigate the complaints about his effort or fitness.
Ayton was back in the lineup for the Lakers on Sunday against the New York Knicks after missing a game due to left knee soreness. Less than four minutes into the first quarter, however, he was barely even jogging up the floor on a Laker fastbreak trailing far behind the rest of the play.
Broadcaster Doris Burke even commented that Ayton looked “winded” on the play, even though the game had just started.
Dorris Burke thought this moment with Ayton was interesting.
— SM Highlights (@SMHighlights1) March 8, 2026
He was slowly coming up the floor, looks like he’s just gassed. https://t.co/Ek7iKOdle9 pic.twitter.com/C5EV8V78l2
Ayton’s lack of effort has been a source of controversy lately, and even some of his teammates seem to have drawn attention to it. If he has conditioning issues, that changes things, but is still highly concerning to see that early in a game at a fairly late stage of the season.
For Ayton’s part, he seems displeased with what the Lakers have asked him to do. The partnership does not seem to be working well for anybody.
