Deandre Ayton Injury Update
Deandre Ayton left Tuesday night’s Los Angeles Lakers game against the Denver Nuggets with a left eye/facial injury and was ruled out for the rest of the contest. @UnderdogNBA shared on X that Deandre Ayton will not return on Tuesday due to an eye injury.
The incident took a lot of the air out of what was shaping up to be a useful mid-season barometer for the Lakers’ new-look frontcourt, because Ayton had actually started pretty well on the glass.
He checked out after 15 minutes with four points and eight rebounds, then never came back to start the second half, with Jaxson Hayes and Drew Timme suddenly thrown into bigger roles. For a team that has already managed him through left knee soreness this month, seeing him walk to the locker room again this time holding his face understandably raised concern.
What Happened to Deandre Ayton?
Ayton was hit in the face near the end of the first half against Denver, suffering what the team described as a left eye injury that kept him in the locker room after halftime. Reports from the arena noted the play looked like a fairly routine shot to the face, the kind of collision that happens dozens of times over an 82-game season, but this one clearly caught him in a sensitive spot around the eye.
The Lakers initially listed him as “questionable to return” before downgrading him to out in the fourth quarter, a classic sign that the medical staff did not want to risk putting him back on the floor without a proper post-game evaluation. @UnderdogNBA shared on X that Deandre Ayton is questionable to return on Tuesday due to an eye injury.
When Will Deandre Ayton Return?
Right now, Ayton’s exact return date is still unclear, with the Lakers expected to run further tests on his left eye and face before updating his status for upcoming games. Early indications from national and local reports lean more toward short-term concern than a season-altering injury, and there has been no mention so far of fractures or long-term vision issues, which is the big thing teams try to rule out quickly in these situations.
The next checkpoint will be the Lakers’ official injury report ahead of their upcoming matchup (with some outlets already suggesting he could be doubtful for the next game while the swelling and irritation calm down), so any return timeline will likely firm up over the next 24–48 hours.
Deandre Ayton Stats
Ayton’s value to the Lakers shows up pretty quickly in the numbers, even before this latest eye issue forced him off the floor. Before the Nuggets game, he was averaging solid double-figure scoring with strong rebounding, giving Los Angeles a dependable interior presence to pair with its perimeter stars.
|
Stat type |
2025–26 per-game numbers* |
|---|---|
|
Points |
14.2 ppg |
|
Rebounds |
8.8 rpg |
|
Assists |
1.5 apg |
|
Field goal % |
Around low-60s % from the field |
|
Minutes |
About 30–31 minutes per game |
Disclaimer
This Deandre Ayton injury update is compiled from recent publicly available NBA reports, team announcements, and reputable news outlets within the last 24 hours and may change as new information emerges. Fans, bettors, and fantasy managers should always confirm final status from official Lakers and league sources.
