Ayton Responds to Criticism and Leads the Lakers
After being benched in the final quarter on Friday, Deandre Ayton, with only four points and six rebounds, received criticism for his limited role. Lakers coach JJ Redick revealed that the center was “frustrated” by the situation. In Sunday’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies, where the Lakers won 120-114, Redick announced the strategy of involving Ayton more from the start, which paid off. The center finished with 15 points, shooting 6 of 8, 8 rebounds, and 3 blocks. In addition, he contributed to the Grizzlies having a low shooting percentage of 36.2% in the second half.The Lakers designed the first play of the game for Ayton, who scored with a 9-foot hook shot. Minutes later, Luka Doncic assisted Ayton with a pass under the basket, culminating the play with a dunk over Jaren Jackson Jr.“The greats can’t feed themselves. I’m just trying to give my best, and I trust my teammates to find me,” Ayton declared after the game.
Deandre Ayton
Doncic and LeBron James dominated the offense on Sunday, scoring or assisting on 100 of the Lakers’ 120 points. The synchronization between the two was key, with 15 passes between them in the last quarter, matching their highest number of passes in a quarter this season. Despite the connection between the stars, James kept Ayton as a constant target.“He was great throughout the game. I think it was good for him to touch the ball and feel part of the offense. It’s the same old story for a big player: someone has to pass you the ball. You’re not the one initiating the offense,” Redick commented on Ayton.
JJ Redick
“I always look for DA. We’re always looking for ways to get him the ball. It was unfortunate what happened in the last game, and we couldn’t find him as much as we wanted, but we were able to make adjustments,” James said.
LeBron James
Ayton had few attempts in Friday’s game against Memphis, with only 2 of 4 shots, his lowest amount this season, excluding a game in which he was injured. Redick acknowledged that it was “human nature” for a center’s effort to decrease if he didn’t feel offensively involved. On Sunday, Ayton had those two attempts in the first few minutes and ended up blocking two shots on defense in the final quarter.
“They tried to get a little physical at the end,” Ayton said. “[It was like] a playoff environment where everyone had to defend their territory and close out these possessions because of how big and long they were on the court.”
