Lakers Announce Deandre Ayton News on Tuesday

Ayton is currently in his first season with the Lakers after signing as a free agent during the summer. The former No. 1 overall pick put pen to paper on a two-year, $16 million deal after the Portland Trail Blazersbought out his contract during the offseason.

In 15 games played this season, Ayton has produced averages of 15.5 points on 69.6% shooting and 8.4 rebounds in 29.2 minutes per contest.  

Ayton’s official injury diagnosis on the Lakers’ injury report is a right knee contusion. He exited Sunday’s game against the Jazz and was later ruled out for the remainder of the contest.  

According to Redick, the results of Ayton’s MRI on his right knee “showed some swelling and a little bit of a bruise,” per Lakers reporter Mark Medina. Redick added that he expects Ayton to return sometime this week.

This is a positive development for the Lakers, as it appears that they will get their starting center back sooner rather than later. Redick did not specify a date for Ayton's return, but based on his comments, it appears Ayton has a chance to play in L.A.'s next game, which is on Friday against the Dallas Mavericks. The Lakers play a back-to-back set after the Mavs. They are set to face the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday before battling Ayton's former team, the Suns, on Monday.

The Lakers enter Tuesday's contest against the Clippers with a 12-4 record and are looking to secure their fifth straight win.