JJ Redick’s depleted Los Angeles Lakers had no answers for the defending NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder during Tuesday’s home clash, getting demolished 123-87.
However, Lakers starting center Deandre Ayton’s performance was particularly pitiful, eliciting a blunt postgame critique from his coach and entertaining reactions across the NBA world.
JJ Redick Doesn’t Hold Back on Deandre Ayton’s Struggles ‘Catching the Ball’
With LA missing its entire Big 3 of Luka Dončić (hamstring), LeBron James (foot), and Austin Reaves (oblique), as well as key role players Marcus Smart (ankle) and Jaxson Hayes (foot), Ayton seemed poised for more opportunities.
Instead, the 2018 No. 1 pick fumbled his way to a final stat line of 3 points, 3 rebounds, and 1 block across 23 minutes. Ayton shot just 1-for-4 from the field and 1-for-2 at the free-throw line as LA never led, falling behind by as many as 41 points as it was outscored in every quarter.
Redick let his frustrations get the best of him on multiple plays, including engaging in a heated second-quarter exchange with Lakers reserve Jarred Vanderbilt that went viral on X.
The second-year coach didn’t hold back in his postgame interview either. When asked why Ayton wasn’t more featured in LA’s offense, Redick didn’t hesitate to call attention to the big man’s struggles handling passes.
“Yeah, you know, he’s had trouble catching the ball,” Redick said. “So, we’ve run a bunch of plays for him. He’s just had trouble catching the ball, and I don’t know if that’s the passing or if it’s him trying to get position. He just hasn’t been able to catch the ball.”
JJ Redick on why the Lakers haven’t featured Deandre Ayton more:
“He’s having trouble catching the ball. We ran a bunch of plays for him. He’s just had trouble catching the ball.”pic.twitter.com/28eF24iUnX
— Underdog NBA (@UnderdogNBA) April 8, 2026
Redick’s direct explanation promptly made the rounds on X, with some pointing to Ayton’s long-standing ball control issues.
“I can assure you that it’s not the passing. He’s been getting spoon-fed by two of the greatest passers to ever live for the entire season, and the issue was the same then. He simply cannot catch the basketball,” fan page Witness King James wrote.
“It’s been all season, JJ fed up with it just like I am,” The Outlet Forum’s Chaez Pearson contended.
Meanwhile, others began drawing undesirable offensive comparisons for the 27-year-old.
“Rudy Ayton,” NBA personality MrBuckBuck quipped.
“Deandre ‘Kwame Brown’ Ayton,” NBA podcaster @marsjoint dubbed the 7-footer.
Another prominent NBA media personality, Quis, even joked that Ayton has “gotta retire after this.”
With Tuesday’s forgettable showing, Ayton has now scored in single digits in seven of his last 12 outings, averaging a meager 10.3 points and 6.8 rebounds per game during that stretch.
With the Lakers (50-29) looking to snap a three-game losing streak and maintain home-court advantage for Round 1 of the playoffs, Redick and Co. may need a far better effort from Ayton over their final three contests.
