Deandre Ayton could be the most impactful addition the Los Angeles Lakers made this offseason as they desperately needed a big man in the middle of the floor.
The big man may have been bought out by the Portland Trail Blazers, but he represented the highest upside center in free agency.
Through two preseason games, Ayton has yet to get going offensively though defensively he looks great. Austin Reaves admitted the Lakers need to find ways to get Ayton the basketball on offense, but that should come with more time and reps.
As far as his role goes, head coach JJ Redick broke down what he wants to see from Ayton, via SiriusXM NBA Radio:
“I think it’s important for him to touch the basketball because we’re going to ask a lot of him as a screener and a rim runner and the anchor of our defense so there has to be some level of freedom. We’ve had four practices, we haven’t talked about shot selection or what we’re trying to get. It’s hard when your two best players are not on the floor. AR of course didn’t play the other night. I think as we get through the next, I guess it’s 15 days now before we play our first game, everybody’s roles and responsibilities will be clearly defined. I think for all our bigs their ability to put pressure on the rim as a runner and as a lob threat is really important. And with Deandre he gives us something that we didn’t have last year post-trade which is if teams do go to reds –switches– he historically, and we’ve seen it in practice, he historically has been great at punishing smaller defenders at the front of the rim.”
Head coaches understand that to get bigs to do the dirty work they need to feel involved offensively, so it sounds like Ayton will have his chances to score. Defensively, the 27-year-old doesn’t have a reputation around the league for being a positive factor on that end though he is determined to quiet those critics.
Overall, Ayton will be counted on on both sides of the floor and it’ll be interesting to see how he handles all the responsibility.
Deandre Ayton believes playing next to Luka Doncic will make game easier for him
Luka Doncic is a wizard when it comes to distributing the basketball which is why Deandre Ayton believes he’ll make the game easier for him.
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