The Lakers are taking on their cross-town rivals in what will decide both teams’ positions in the NBA Cup quarterfinals. The Lakers will be down a big man against the Clippers as Deandre Ayton remains ruled out. He left the second game against the Utah Jazz on Sunday with a contusion on his right knee. He was ruled out for tonight as well. But JJ Redick gave a huge update on his condition today.

Ahead of the NBA Cup, JJ Redick addressed the media where Deandre Ayton’s status inevitably came up. According to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, “JJ Redick said the MRI on Deandre Ayton’s knee was “clean” but revealed some swelling. Redick said the Lakers have hope that Ayton can return by the end of the week.”

That maybe means that Ayton could be back for Friday’s game when Luka Doncic plays against his former team, the Dallas Mavericks. Or maybe the rematch against the Pelicans on Sunday.

The Lakers are seemingly recalibrating after the recent injury luck they’ve had and with LeBron James’ return. Jaxson Hayes subbed in Ayton so far. They also cleared a two-way spot by waiving Christian Koloko to sign Drew Timme from the G-League. 

Amid these changes, there was a lot of uncertainty over Ayton’s position. Redick’s update is a little more optimistic of his status.

What Deandre Ayton’s absence could mean for Lakers

The Clippers center, Ivica Zubac has been on a hot run lately. That meant the Lakers needed their big guy tonight. But Deandre Ayton’s health and consistency have been proportionate to each other.

Ayton’s defense is not filling in the gaps in the Lakers lineup, but offensively he’s been giving the team some boards. Redick especially trusts his big man, utilizing him on transitions which brings Ayton’s averages up 15.5 points a game on a 69.6% from the field. Even though the Lakers have managed to win even when Ayton leaves midgame, their shooting effiency has suffered in those wins.

After a 29-point outing, he had an underwhelming game that ended with him tweaking his back. He’d miss a couple of games before returning, have a few great double-doubles and then hurt his knee. He was initially questionable after being ruled out. The Lakers beat the Jazz for a second consecutive time despite missing Ayton and the offensive woes they were having.

Redick had no update about Ayton on Sunday. Luka Doncic, on a off night but still making history, had not spoken to Ayton at that point.

Without Ayton, Hayes as well as Maxi Kleber, also returning from a long injury hiatus, would see more minutes. And Hayes has a hilarious motivation to do well tonight. “Free money. If we win, we get $500K. That’s all I know. That’s all that matters,” he said before the NBA Cup game that guarantees bonuses for the players as the team advances further.

The next chance for that six-figure cash prize comes on Friday against the Mavs. We’ll keep an eye out on the Lakers injury reports for an upgrade on Deandre Ayton.