Deandre Ayton was supposed to be the Los Angeles Lakers’ newest difference-maker. Fresh off a great double-double performance on Wednesday, he came out today with a strong presence against the Memphis Grizzlies: hitting mid-ranges, rolling to the rim with force, and keeping the offense humming. But by halftime, the momentum disappeared. Observers quickly noticed that when the third quarter began, Ayton was nowhere to be seen.

It didn’t take long for the confusion to turn into panic. Though the Lakers performed well against the Grizzlies in their first NBA Cup game, Ayton wasn’t even on the bench. He logged just 17 minutes with 9 points, but surprisingly, didn’t pull down a single rebound. For someone who has been a solid rebounder his entire career, the silence on what went wrong felt lou

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