The Los Angeles Lakers seemed to be in a commanding position heading into the second half of Sunday night’s game against the Utah Jazz. Unfortunately, a recent update provided by Spectrum SportsNet’s Mike Trudell has raised concerns for the Purple and Gold.
The Lakers’ starting center, Deandre Ayton, has reportedly been ruled out for the remainder of the game against the Jazz after sustaining a knee contusion. With Jaxson Hayes on the floor to start the third quarter, Los Angeles will be playing the remainder of the game with a shorthanded big man rotation.
Losing Ayton comes as a blow to the Lakers. The big man has been invaluable in the team’s rotation, providing solid contributions on both ends of the floor, while simultaneously boosting the team’s rebounding effort.
For the season, Deandre Ayton has been averaging 16.5 points, 8.8 rebounds, 0.9 blocks, and 0.7 steals per game on 69.9% shooting from the field.
While these are impressive figures, Ayton seemed to struggle against Utah. In 13 minutes, the Lakers’ big man posted two points and three rebounds on 1-for-2 shooting from the field.
Although his impact on the stat sheet was negligible, it is evident that Ayton is a key rotation player. With the Purple and Gold being forced to bring out Hayes and Maxi Kleber against Utah, the team finds itself in a tough position to start the second half.
The Lakers’ Three-Point Shooting Woes Continue
While the Los Angeles Lakers ended the first half on a high note, notching 30 points in the second quarter to extend their lead, the Purple and Gold struggled behind a poor shooting display in the third quarter.
The Jazz outscored the Lakers 26-22 in the third quarter, effectively eliminating L.A.’s lead. Although Utah came out firing, they eventually lost momentum, giving the Purple and Gold a small window to establish a foothold.
This may be viewed favorably since it helped the Lakers retain their lead heading into the fourth quarter, but the team’s poor shooting display nonetheless raises concerns.
For the game, the Lakers have shot 10-for-38 from beyond the arc, resulting in a three-point shooting percentage of approximately 26%.
For the 2025-26 season, the Purple and Gold shoot 33.8% from three-point territory. Given that they are already among the worst perimeter shooting teams in the league, Sunday night’s performance doesn’t instill much confidence in the team’s ability to improve. When also factoring in their 12 turnovers for the game, JJ Redick’s primary concerns with the team’s offense remain unsolved.
Despite being a poor three-point shooting team, the Lakers are efficient. With one of the best field-goal shooting percentages in the league (51.1%), Los Angeles has found a way to stay effective.
Regardless, in the modern NBA, it is a necessity to have a variety of scoring options. With this in mind, L.A. would do well to bring in perimeter shooting reinforcements to boost its chances of contending.
