4 fatal flaws Lakers must fix before Game 2 vs. Suns

3. No answers for Deandre Ayton

In the play-in round, the Lakers had their troubles with Andre Drummond starting at center. But things appeared to be going fine once he was swapped out in favor of Anthony Davis. On Sunday, the Lakers had their first challenge in the form of Deandre Ayton.

In Game 1, Ayton won.

Ayton was a dominant force inside the paint, as he recorded a grand total of 16 rebounds in his playoff debut. In fact, that was the exact number of rebounds Davis and Drummond had combined. Not only that, but Ayton scored 21 points on 10-of-11 shots from inside the paint.

With this showing, Ayton is now the first player in Suns history to record 20+ points and 10+ rebounds in their playoff debut.

If Los Angeles fail to find any answers for Ayton in the paint, it is going to be a short series for them.

2. Anthony Davis rusty in Game 1

Speaking of Davis, he looked off all game. This was not the same superstar presence that helped lead the Lakers to their first NBA title in a decade last season. There were signs of Davis being rusty in the play-in game against the Golden State Warriors, but he did shine in the second half of that contest.

On Sunday, Davis was just dreadful all game. Look no further than his stat-line. Davis managed to score 13 points while shooting 5-for-16 from the field and 0-for-2 from the three-point line. Plus, Davis was -18 in the game.

When looking at the struggles, you instantly remember that Davis did miss two months of the regular season due to a variety of right leg injuries. It is unknown if that is necessarily playing a factor in Davis’ recent performances. More likely than not, his Game 1 showing can be attributed to the defensive attention he received from Phoenix.

There is still plenty of time for Davis to turn things around. If Davis can not, the Lakers are doomed.