With the Los Angeles Lakers down both Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves for the foreseeable future, not to mention LeBron James in Tuesday night’s loss against the Oklahoma City Thunder, it would seem to be a prime opportunity for center Deandre Ayton to step up and take on a bigger role in the offense, something head coach JJ Redick has spoken about.
Unfortunately, Ayton scored just two points against the Thunder, and tallied just 13 in the prior game, another Lakers loss to the Dallas Mavericks. When asked about Ayton’s offensive struggles despite the desire to feature him more, Redick pointed to an issue that he feels has been holding him back.
“He’s had trouble catching the ball,” Redick said. “We’ve ran a bunch of plays for him, he’s just had trouble catching the ball. I don’t know if that’s the passing or if it’s him trying to get position. He just hasn’t been able to catch the ball.”
It seems like something so simple, but being able to catch the ball cleanly and go up with the shot makes such a huge difference, especially when playing against a defense as good as the Thunder’s. The Lakers still have players capable of feeding Ayton, especially with Luke Kennard stepping up as a playmaker alongside James as well as Marcus Smart when he returns, but Ayton must take advantage of the opportunities.
The big man had done well in recent weeks prior to the injuries to Doncic and Reaves of really embracing his role as a rim-runner on offense and rebounder and rim protector on defense. But now everyone’s roles have changed and Ayton has the chance to show that he can be more of a primary weapon on offense as the Lakers sorely need players who can get buckets.
Perhaps it’s a matter of chemistry with the likes of Kennard and Bronny James and them not quite used to putting the ball where Ayton is used to, as it did take some time for the big man to get comfortable with Doncic and Reaves. But the Lakers don’t have much time to figure this out and they need Ayton to step up in a big way if they plan on having any success in the postseason.
Lakers coach JJ Redick downplays exchange with Jarred Vanderbilt
Redick also got into an exchange with Jarred Vanderbilt during the Lakers’ loss to the Thunder after calling a timeout and pulling him from the game. This is something that has happened with Redick and a variety of players throughout the season though, and he downplayed any animosity with Vanderbilt.
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