The Los Angeles Lakers will be without the services of at least four players when they take on the Miami Heat at Crypto.com Arena on Sunday, but Deandre Ayton is unlikely to join that group on the sidelines. Ayton suffered a back injury in the 117-112 win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday, and the Lakers have provided a positive update on the big man in their injury report.
Ayton (back spasms) has been listed as probable, and so, he should be available against the Heat. LeBron James (right sciatica), Maxi Kleber (abdominal muscle strain), Adou Thiero (left knee surgery recovery), and Gabe Vincent (left ankle sprain) won’t be available, however, with all four being listed as out.
Ayton missed the entire second half against the Grizzlies, and there was a lot of concern regarding his status at first. The 27-year-old didn’t come out of the locker room after halftime, and the Lakers didn’t provide any update on his status in the third quarter. It was only in the fourth that we found out it was a back injury.
The Lakers then eased concerns by stating that Ayton, who tweaked his back during an alley-oop play in the first half, could return to the game if needed. Head coach JJ Redick ultimately decided against taking a risk, though, and the big man watched on as the team got over the line thanks to another 40-point game from Luka Doncic.
Ayton, who was dealing with tightness in his back at shootaround, declared postgame that he expected to play against the Heat. With how well Bam Adebayo, who is averaging 23.0 points and 9.2 rebounds per game, has started the season for Miami, the Lakers certainly need him out there.
Ayton didn’t have the greatest of debuts for the Lakers, but he has played well since. The former No. 1 pick is averaging 14.8 points, 7.8 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 0.5 steals, and 0.8 blocks per game in 2025-26.
As for the absentees, James is still dealing with sciatica, and Redick has stated we could see him back in the second or third week of November. You were a little bit worried about how the Lakers would fare in the 21-time All-Star’s absence, but they are off to a solid 4-2 start.
Kleber and Thiero are also yet to make their season debuts for the Lakers, but the team released a positive update on the latter on Wednesday. Thiero has been cleared for live on-court contact work and has been assigned to the South Bay Lakers. It still might be a while before we see the rookie or Kleber in action, though.
Lastly, Vincent suffered an ankle sprain against the Sacramento Kings on Sunday and was ruled out for two to four weeks. The guard had been inserted into the lineup for James and would have hoped to impress in a bigger role, but it wasn’t to be. Vincent averaged 3.7 points, 1.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.0 steals per game, and is unlikely to be in the starting five when he returns.
Despite these four being out, the Lakers would fancy their chances of coming away with the win against the Heat. They have won four of their last five games, and with Doncic looking unstoppable (averaging 45.3 points per game in 2025-26), you wouldn’t bet against them.
