The suggestion that the Lakers would be better off demoting Deandre Ayton to the bench is not a coaching decision. It is an admission that the front office signed the wrong player—and Ayton is paying for their miscalculation. When heavy.com reported that scouts and coaches around the league believe the Lakers would be “better off” with Jaxson Hayes starting, the subtext was clear: Ayton was never a fit for this roster. He was signed because the front office grabbed the biggest available name, not because he solved a basketball problem.
The Demotion Debate Reveals a Roster Built on Panic, Not Fit
According to heavy.com, Ayton has struggled to meet the defense-and-rebounding challenge the Lakers put in front of him. The team has three elite offensive players in Luka Dončić, Austin Reaves, and LeBron James—they do not need a big man who wants more shots. Ayton does want more shots. His viral quote to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin—”They’re trying to turn me into Clint Capela”—summed up the disconnect and brought controversy to his role. But as heavy.com noted, Ayton was never a fit for this Lakers roster and was signed only because of the front office’s penchant for grabbing the big name, no matter how ill-fitting the player may be.
The numbers bear out the scouts’ skepticism. Basketball-Reference on/off data shows the Lakers’ offensive rating drops from 119.5 when Ayton is off the floor to 116.9 when he is on it. Defensively, the rating worsens from 115.5 off to 119.1 on. For Hayes, the opposite holds: the Lakers’ defensive rating improves from 118.0 when he is off to 115.1 when he is on. The Lakers are 6-2 when Hayes starts. An Eastern Conference assistant coach told heavy.com the Lakers would be more fearsome with Ayton on the second unit, staggered with floor-spacers like Austin Reaves and Luke Kennard.
Rob Pelinka declared acquiring a starting-caliber center was the top offseason priority and called Ayton “an amazing solution.” The Lakers signed him to a two-year, $16.6 million deal after his Portland buyout. But the signing reflected availability, not strategy. The team had traded Anthony Davis to Dallas for Dončić and had only Jaxson Hayes at center. Ayton was the biggest name on the market—and the front office pounced. Former NBA champion Kendrick Perkins, as reported by heavy.com, delivered a brutal assessment: Ayton “does nothing athletically,” fails to “lunge for basketballs,” and lacks the extra effort the Lakers need. Zach Lowe called him “just a lump of clay.”
What This Actually Means
The demotion talk is not about Ayton’s effort alone. It is about a front office that has repeatedly chased star names over roster coherence. The Lakers signed Ayton because he was available and famous—not because his skill set complemented Dončić and James. Now the player absorbs the blame for a mismatch the front office created. The scouts and coaches quoted by heavy.com are right: Hayes fits better. But the real failure belongs to the executives who signed Ayton in the first place.
Background
Who is Deandre Ayton? A Bahamian center and 2018 No. 1 overall pick who played for Phoenix and Portland before joining the Lakers in July 2025. He helped lead the Suns to the 2021 NBA Finals. He averages 13–17 points and 8–10 rebounds but has faced persistent criticism for inconsistent effort and defensive limitations.
What is the Lakers’ center situation? The Lakers traded Anthony Davis to Dallas for Luka Dončić in 2025, leaving Jaxson Hayes as the only center. They signed Ayton using the remainder of their midlevel exception. Hayes has outperformed Ayton in on/off metrics and has drawn praise from scouts for his fit with the starting lineup.
Sources
heavy.com, ESPN, Heavy Sports, Sports Illustrated, Hoops Rumors