Lakers-Pacers Injury Report: LeBron James, Deandre Ayton & Maxi Kleber Update

Los Angeles Lakers big man Deandre Ayton exited Thursday’s game against the Denver Nuggets in the second quarter due to a knee injury.

Ayton was ultimately ruled out for the second half after playing only five minutes. He sat on the bench for the rest of the quarter, then went back to the locker room before halftime. He went scoreless on 0-for-1 shooting with two rebounds.

The Lakers also saw LeBron James suffer an apparent elbow injury while already dealing with Maxi Kleber's back issue.

LeBron James, Deandre Ayton & Maxi Kleber Ruled Out vs. Pacers

Lakers will be shorthanded tonight, with LeBron James, Maxi Kleber and Deandre Ayton all ruled OUT vs. Pacers pic.twitter.com/mMhl8xnZqp
— Ryan Ward (@RyanWardLA) March 6, 2026

The Lakers are in a tough spot without Ayton, leaving them without significant size while having to rely almost entirely on Jaxson Hayes at center. Hayes has provided stable production, but he isn’t nearly the offensive option that the former 2018 first overall pick is.

Ayton has been Los Angeles’ primary option factor in the frontcourt as he’s averaging 12.8 points and 8.3 rebounds while shooting a career-high 66.8 percent from the floor, along with 0.9 blocks in 53 games played before Thursday’s contest.

As for James and Kleber, it doesn't seem like either of them are dealing with major injury issues, and are potentially sitting because it will be the second game of a back-to-back against one of the worst teams in the NBA.

With only 20 games left on the regular-season schedule, starting with the Pacers on Friday night at Crypto.com Arena, the last thing the Lakers need is to be dealing with injuries to key contributors like James and Ayton.

Ayton is likely the bigger concern for a couple of different reasons, as hopefully the knee soreness isn't something that bothers him for the rest of the 2025-26 campaign and also he's vocally expressed his discontent with his role on the team.

If Hayes proves to be the better option moving forward, Ayton could see less time on the floor and there's a chance he falls out of the starting lineup.

After Ayton logged only four minutes and headed to the bench, many believed it was due to his performance. It wasn't until later in the game that it was announced he was dealing with knee soreness.

Hayes, however, shined with the added minutes (27), finishing with season-high 19 points to go along with five rebounds and two assists. He may not have the impact that Ayton has on the glass, but he could be the better fit moving forward.