ESPN announcers drag Deandre Ayton's pathetic rebounding effort vs. Thunder
This isn't the first time Deandre Ayton's effort has been questioned.
Deandre Ayton's effort has been called into question in a playoff series his team is getting run off the floor. Sound familiar? Ayton is no longer with the Phoenix Suns , but the same old narrative about him resurfaced Saturday as his Los Angeles Lakers fell into an 0-3 hole against the Oklahoma City Thunder in a game he finished with one defensive rebound.
During one Thunder possession in the fourth quarter, where the Lakers couldn't secure a board, the ESPN broadcast crew took aim. "Boy, Ayton can not get a defensive rebound," Dave Pasch said after the first Thunder miss. "He's around the ball so much but just doesn't come down with it.
" This 1 minute clip shows the problem with the Lakers, Deandre Ayton looks like he isn’t even trying in this. This sequence was driving the ESPN announcers crazy. pic.
twitter. com/wwcn2vvECB — SM Highlights (@SMHighlights1) May 10, 2026 Doris Burke continued the Ayton criticisms after the second Thunder miss: "This is what drives you mad if you're JJ Redick. And it's why we have thought he has called the numbers of different bigs in this matchup.