Why Lakers locked back in on Deandre Ayton in win against Grizzlies
It’s no coincidence that the Lakers’ first play went to Deandre Ayton. Or that the star big man got the first shot of the third. Or that his teammates fed him for back-to-back dunks to help spark a streak of five straight possessions early in the second half.
After Ayton finished last Friday’s win on the bench, the 7-foot center bounced back with 15 points and eight rebounds against the Grizzlies on Sunday as the Lakers made it a point to get the big man involved from the start.
Ayton scored just four points with six rebounds in Friday’s win and witnessed a tight fourth quarter from the bench because, as coach JJ Redick said, backup Jaxson Hayes was “playing better.” Redick said Saturday that Ayton was “frustrated” at not getting the ball more in recent games, and his disillusionment showed on the field.
“It’s a story as old as time for a great player,” Redick said after Sunday’s game. “That’s the reality of being a great player: Someone has to pass you the ball. You don’t initiate the offense.”
Redick said the team identified times where his teammates could have been better at finding the former No. 1 overall pick. There were also other times when Ayton could have been more active alone. Redick said he especially wants to see Ayton be active, engaged and assertive in the game.
Ayton responded by converting six of his eight shots Sunday and helping the team lock down the defense in the fourth. The Lakers rallied from an 11-point deficit late in the third and held the Grizzlies (15-20) to just 16 points in the first 10 minutes of the fourth quarter. Ayton had two blocks in the fourth quarter.
“We win the right way,” Ayton said. “The big guys can’t feed themselves and I try my best to do what I can to put in the effort. And I trust my playmakers to find me.”
The Lakers had 30 assists on 38 made shots, their highest assisted field goal percentage of the season.
