Deandre Ayton Receives Final Injury Designation for Lakers vs. Pacers

On Wednesday night against the Indiana Pacers, the Los Angeles Lakers will try to bounce back from their loss to the Detroit Pistons, which ended their nine-game win streak.

Unfortunately for the Lakers, the team will be shorthanded for a second straight game, with Marcus Smart, Rui Hachimura and rookie Adou Thiero all ruled out for this matchup at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, with veteran center Deandre Ayton listed as questionable.

Deandre Ayton Ruled Out vs. Pacers

Ayton will miss a game for the 10th time in his first season with the Lakers, as he’ll rest his ailing back during Wednesday’s matchup, which will be the last game of a six-game road trip.

Deandre Ayton (back soreness) has been downgraded to OUT for tonight’s game at Indiana.
— Ryan Ward (@RyanWardLA) March 25, 2026

Not having Ayton, Smart and Hachimura available for this game in Indiana makes the Lakers incredibly shorthanded, which could prove costly if the team can’t pick up the slack on both ends of the floor on Wednesday night.

Even though the Pacers are not a good team this season after making the NBA Finals during the 2024-25 campaign, the Lakers' final matchup on this road trip is a classic trap game if the team takes the reigning Eastern Conference champions for granted.

With Smart still on the mend, the Lakers will likely turn to Luke Kennard to help shoulder the load in the backcourt, while Jake LaRavia will certainly get more time on the floor with Hachimura being ruled out for a second straight game.

Mar 23, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Los Angeles Lakers Jaxson Hayes (11) shoots a free throw against the Detroit Pistons during the first quarter at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Reginek-Imagn Images | David Reginek-Imagn Images

As for Ayton’s absence, Redick will turn to Jaxson Hayes in the frontcourt. Veteran forward Maxi Kleber may also get more minutes off the bench.

After this matchup with the Pacers, Luka Doncic and company will head back to Los Angeles for a three-game homestand. The Lakers will host two of the worst teams in the Eastern Conference, the Brooklyn Nets and the Washington Wizards, during this stretch before facing a real challenge against the Cleveland Cavaliers on March 31.

The hope for the Lakers is they'll be able to be as close 100 percent healthy as possible before the NBA playoffs get underway on April 18 while also holding onto the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference standings behind the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder, which seems like a realistic possibility heading into the final stretch of the regular season.

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