Following the Los Angeles Lakers’ first of two straight victories against the Memphis Grizzlies, head coach JJ Redick made note that he felt center Deandre Ayton was becoming a bit frustrated with his lack of touches on offense. In that first contest, Ayton took just four shots and the big man also struggled in previous losses to the Detroit Pistons and Houston Rockets.
But the Lakers made a concerted effort to get Ayton the ball in that rematch against Memphis and he finished with 15 points, eight rebounds and three blocks. Afterwards, Redick spoke on his belief that the Lakers did a much better job in feeding the center.
“He was great throughout the game,” Redick said after six-point victory. “And we ran the first play for him, got him another couple of touches early. I think that was good for him to just touch the basketball and feel like he’s a part of the offense. It’s a tale as old as time for a big guy. That’s the reality of being a big. Someone has to pass you the ball. You’re not initiating the offense. And there were some things, that we kind of set up for him to get the ball.
“And I thought he did a great job, which we coached up yesterday in film. We coached on the court in reference to that post-up with LeBron and Jaxson [Hayes]. That’s the weak spot against the post. And he did a good job of playing out of that at times beyond just pick-and-roll. To come to that point, I think even Deandre’s acknowledged he’s a different kind of big as opposed to, you have your star bigs who have possession of the ball mostly and then you have your athletic bigs who are rim runners, finishers.”
Ayton’s comments after the game about big men not being able to feed themselves turned some heads, but Redick backed up the center’s words, lauding Ayton’s skill level and putting the blame on the coaches and playmakers to make sure he is involved in the offense.
“I mean, he is. He’s a highly skilled big,” Redick added. “I mean, there aren’t many of those left in today’s NBA. And just in terms of touch and shooting from the areas that he likes to get the ball. And that’s it’s on us as coaches, and it’s on players to make sure that he feels involved.”
Ayton is not one of those bigs who can just get the ball inside and go to work, he is reliant on the Lakers’ creators to get him easy looks. While the Lakers primarily need him on defense and to control the glass, he must still be involved in the offense and history has shown that getting those handful of touches motivates bigs to give that extra effort on the defensive end.
Rui Hachimura won’t play on Lakers’ upcoming road trip
The Lakers should be inclined to get Ayton more touches as his offense will be a bit more needed in the immediate future as not only is Austin Reaves out, but forward Rui Hachimura also won’t be suiting up on their upcoming road trip.
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