Deandre Ayton’s popularity rating among Los Angeles Lakers fans has hit rock bottom.
The Lakers were desperately looking to avoid falling into a 0-3 hole against the Thunder in Game 3 of their Western Conference semifinals series. But Ayton did not get the memo on Saturday as he took the court for the do-or-die game at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, Calif.
One sequence in particular stood out so much that the announcers felt the need to call out Ayton. With the Lakers needing a stop early in the fourth quarter, the former No. 1 pick played some of the laziest defense and board work imaginable.
This 1 minute clip shows the problem with the Lakers, Deandre Ayton looks like he isn’t even trying in this.
— SM Highlights (@SMHighlights1) May 10, 2026
This sequence was driving the ESPN announcers crazy. pic.twitter.com/wwcn2vvECB
Ayton couldn’t grab the defensive rebound over 6’4″ guard Ajay Mitchell, who tapped it back out for OKC to secure an offensive rebound.
Mitchell missed an open three-pointer, but Ayton was out of position again. He ended up fouling Isaiah Hartenstein to compensate for getting beaten to the spot. Ayton gave up yet another offensive rebound to Mitchell off a Chet Holmgren miss.
The coup de grâce came as Mitchell got Ayton switched onto him on a pick-and-roll. The shifty guard got all the way to the rim, and instead of sliding his feet to keep up, Ayton fouled him for an And-1.
Ayton wasn’t making it up on the other end, either. Watch the man stop short of a dunk, airball a floater, then miss the putback.
Deandre Ayton can’t be serious man 😭😭 pic.twitter.com/r0fW1aD3rE
— Hater Report (@HaterReport) May 10, 2026
Fans were quick to pile on Ayton for his lackadaisical play.
Deandre Ayton is the worst player I’ve ever seen
— Blazers Palace (@blazers_palace) May 10, 2026
Deandre Ayton might’ve just played the worst minute of basketball that I’ve ever seen from an NBA player in my entire life.
— Johnny Thunderbird (@newyorkgrooovee) May 10, 2026
He just punted the Lakers season (OKC was winning this series regardless).
Deandre ayton might be the lousiest center ever
— D Bob (@angriesthoops) May 10, 2026
DeAndre Ayton is just not a serious basketball player. Way too easily sped up on offense. Way too often disengaged defensively and on the glass. He's the same guy he's always been.
— Carson Breber (@Carsobi) May 10, 2026
The Arizona alum finished with 10 points and 6 rebounds across 23 minutes of play. Only one of those boards came on the defensive glass, as five different Thunder players got multiple offensive rebounds in a 131-108 OKC victory.
Ayton wasn’t the only reason the Lakers lost Game 3. The continued absence of Luka Doncic was a much bigger factor, aside from the Thunder just being a buzzsaw on both ends of the floor. But Ayton certainly didn’t help the Lakers get any shot at an upset on Saturday night.
