Ty Lue has the perfect 5-word response to the impact of Deandre Ayton’s absence

To say that the current circumstances for Los Angeles Clippers are terrible would be a huge understatement. They are currently 5-12 heading into their highly anticipated NBA Cup contest Tuesday night against their cross-town rival Los Angeles Lakers, and have been ravaged by injuries. The good news is yes Kawhi Leonard will be active for that gamegiving James Harden and Ivica Zubac much-needed help.

As for the Lakers, it appears their entire rotation will be available without starting center Deandre Ayton. Ayton will miss that contest because of a knee injury he suffered Sunday against the Utah Jazz, which could free up space for Zubac to dominate the paint given the Lakers’ rebounding problems last season when they played with Jackson Hayes as their main point guard.

However, the head coach of the Clippers Tyronn Lue not too much of a place importance on Ayton’s absence. After all, the Lakers’ star trio of Luka Doncic, LeBron James and Austin Reaves will be available — making Tuesday night’s contest even more difficult.

“Are luka and lebron playing?” Lue said when asked how Ayton’s absence changes the Clippers’ game plan, per Daniel Starkand of Lakers Nation.

They really play and it will be a tough task for a Clippers team that is missing one of its best defenders in Derrick Jones Jr. to slow down The Lakers’ trio of excellent ball-handlers. And with the game being played at Cripto.com Arena, the Clippers need to bring their A-game if they want to run away to save their season and prevent a high lottery pick from going to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Clippers need to pound the paint against the Lakers

Controlling the glass could be a requirement for the Clippers to win on Tuesday night. The Lakers will start Hayes at center, but Zubac has the advantage in that matchup, especially in terms of strength. But aside from Zubac, Leonard has to do his best in crashing the boards, as does John Collins.

The Lakers struggled mightily last year when they relied on Hayes to be their starting center, and the Clippers at least have a blueprint for beating this talented Purple and Gold team.