Friday night against the Memphis Grizzlies marked the first time Los Angeles Lakers center Deandre Ayton was benched in the fourth quarter in favor of Jaxson Hayes.
To begin this season, Ayton was a steady offensive option and essentially a walking double-double for L.A. His mid-range game was operating at a high rate and if he got post touches, he was finishing with ease.
Against Memphis though, the starting big man only put up four points and six rebounds in 25 minutes. And in the game before against the Detroit Pistons, he had 10 points and only two rebounds in 26 minutes.
When asked about Ayton’s slippage in production, head coach JJ Redick admitted that his center is presumably frustrated due to his lack of touches offensively, via Dave McMenamin of ESPN:
“I think he’s frustrated. He doesn’t feel like he’s getting the ball. You know there is some stuff we had to clean up versus the shock for him to just be more available. But, I’d say it boils down to that.”
Frankly, this happens with Ayton when he is not getting his touches as he tends to check out mentally. When asked who the blame falls on for not feeding him, Redick said it falls on everybody:
“It’s on everybody. We tried to run an ATO for him, that was one of the ATOs we didn’t run correctly. There’s opportunities for him to duck in at times and he’s not being active. There’s opportunities for us to hit him when he does duck in and we’re not hitting him. To me, it comes down to is he going to be active and engaged, assertive. I think the trust level from the passer builds off that. I think we’ve got to start the game trying to get him at least a couple touches before the seven minute mark.”
When a player does not feel like he is having chances to score, it can be hard to remain focused on the little things, especially for a skilled center like Ayton, who has always been known for his offensive production. Redick believes it is human nature to see his big not snagging as many boards when he is not receiving the ball:
“That’s most guys. I think most guys, we’ve talked about it as a team, you don’t feel like you’re getting the ball, the rest of your focus wanes a little bit. I think that’s human nature for most NBA players.”
The past couple of weeks have been a test for the Lakers and Ayton does need to find ways to remain on the floor should he not receive touches. Additionally, a concerted effort needs to be made to get him active early because it makes L.A.’s offense less one-dimensional.
Deandre Ayton willing to hold himself & Lakers accountable on defense
Defense has not been a strong suit for the Lakers as they have struggled to find any sort of consistency. Ayton, as the last line of deterrence at the rim, admitted he needs to hold himself and the team accountable on that end.
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