DeAndre Ayton got criticized by fans for his poor play last week when Los Angeles Lakers were forced to make some changes in their offensive system. JJ Redick acknowledged that the changes left the big man feeling frustrated and that they will see to it he will get more touches.
“To me, it comes down to whether he’s going to be active, engaged, and assertive,” Redick said after their win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday.
“I think the trust level from the past builds off that. But we have to start getting him a couple of touches before the seven-minute mark.”
Two days past and they had a rematch with the Grizzlies and they won again. Did things change for the better for Ayton? His stats will answer that.
Ayton scored 15 points in the night on 6 out of 8 shooting. He only had 4 attempts in the last game. The 2018 no. 1 overall pick credits the feeds he received from his guards.
“Bigs can’t feed themselves, and I just try my best to do what I can, trusting my playmakers to find me,” he said after the game.
“The approach went the right way and helped my overall effort tonight.”
“Bigs can’t feed themselves. I just try my best do what I can to bring effort and I trust my playmakers out there to find me” – Deandre Ayton after scoring 15 points on 6-for-8 shooting a game after JJ Redick said Ayton was “frustrated” by limited touches pic.twitter.com/9yG8IS19ob
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) January 5, 2026
DeAndre Ayton also played well on defense
Redick talked about effort and engagement from Ayton and the starting center responded on that department big time.
He had 2 blocks while holding his own against the Grizzlies who adjusted that they should feel big. He described this type of approach from Memphis as playoff-like adjustment.
“They tried to get physical and played three bigs, which made us do a lot of size switching,” he continued.
“It brought us into a playoff environment where everybody had to guard their own yard, close out possessions, get rebounds, and push in transition. We had that advantage offensively.”
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