Deandre Ayton did not sound interested in turning Monday’s practice interview into a personal highlight reel. Asked how he differs in the playoffs, the Lakers center pushed the spotlight away fast: “Y’all got to tell me. I don’t know.”
He kept going when the question came back around. “You be asking me these tricky questions, man. I don’t know. Why you putting me in these predicaments? I’m tired of talking about myself. Every time I talk about myself it’s quoted. So you got it. You tell me the difference.” For Ayton, the point was not self-analysis. It was keeping the focus on the series.
That approach fits the Lakers’ reality entering Game 1 against the Thunder. Luka Doncic is out with a left hamstring strain, and Ayton knows the margin in Oklahoma City will come down to force, patience, and interior control more than anything flashy. “Playing bigger,” he said when asked what he needs to do against the Thunder’s front line.
The challenge is obvious in the numbers. Ayton has averaged 11.8 points and 10.8 rebounds in the playoffs while shooting 60.4% from the field, and the Lakers need that efficiency to survive against a Thunder team that relentlessly touches the paint. Ayton called Oklahoma City “a really unstoppable team” and said his job is to “protect the paint as best as I can and stay on the floor as long as possible.”
He also gave Marcus Smart a strong endorsement, especially with the Lakers leaning on collective toughness without Doncic and with Austin Reaves limited to just two games in the first round. “Marcus is a true leader besides Bron, Luka, and AR,” Ayton said. “Marcus is the other guy with the grit.” He added that Smart “tries to be that guy that puts his arms around me and some of the younger guys.”
Ayton said the team’s identity has hardened through its underdog path. “Really just staying vocal and staying together,” he said. “Me and Marcus try to bring that edge on the defensive end to make that a characteristic of ours, to play hard and rely on our defense to get offense and stuff like that going for us.”
The postseason return itself has mattered too. Ayton said, “I just love it. The attention to detail and being consistent, it’s true professionalism.” That same focus will be tested by Oklahoma City’s crowd, which he described as overwhelming: “You can’t hear yourself. It’s definitely the Thunder for a reason.”
He finished with the kind of answer that matched the tone of the day. “Everybody can do more. Everybody has another level,” Ayton said. “I feel like that’s where we are right now.”
