The Los Angeles Lakers are set to open their first-round playoff series against the Houston Rockets this Saturday. Their effort to win the best-of-7 series will begin without Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves, who are out indefinitely. This puts Deandre Ayton under an increased spotlight.
Ahead of the series, Lakers coach JJ Redick made it clear exactly what his team needs from the $16,208,000 big man.
JJ Redick Opens Up on Lakers’ New Expectations for Deandre Ayton
JJ Redick has had a publicly complicated relationship with Ayton this season. The 2018 No. 1 pick’s shenanigans have left the head coach visibly frustrated at times. Earlier this month, Redick openly criticized his catching ability. However, on Wednesday, Redick’s tone shifted as the Lakers face increasing adversity.
“The whole season for him has been about finding consistency,” Redick said. “When he’s at his best, we’re an elite basketball team. That’s just the reality.
“He raises our ceiling so much, and it’s on both sides of the ball. It’s not him being able to score 24 points, although when he scores and shoots, we typically win. He’s just a really good basketball player, and we’re very happy with where he’s at.”
It’s not like Ayton hasn’t gotten the chance to prove himself. On Sunday against the Utah Jazz, he logged 22 points on 10-for-14 shooting, 10 rebounds, and 3 blocks in just 26 minutes.
The Jazz are nowhere near the same caliber team as the Rockets, but Ayton still managed to dominate. This kind of efficiency is what Redick needs for the Lakers to advance this postseason.
But then again, it is Ayton we’re talking about. His regular-season averages tell a completely different story. Across 72 outings, Ayton mustered just 12.5 points and 8.0 rebounds in 27.2 minutes per game.
Assessing Ayton’s Playoff Pedigree
Ayton has not been in the playoffs since 2023, when he was still with the Phoenix Suns. He’s been through 45 postseason contests, averaging 15.9 points and 10.5 rebounds.
In the 2021 Finals, he averaged 14.7 points and 12.0 rebounds over six games against the Milwaukee Bucks. That’s the version of Ayton that Redick is banking on right now.
“I love playing this game, and I take great passion of playing on both ends of the floor,” Ayton said Wednesday. “I still believe just being a two-way player in this league … that’s truly my second nature. Running the floor always, closing out possessions with rebounds, protecting the rim.”
Houston presents a unique challenge, though. The Rockets lead the league in offensive rebounding percentage at 38.8%, while Alperen Şengün averages 20.4 points and 8.9 rebounds a night.
Ayton’s future in LA may depend on this postseason run, and for now, it is uncertain, as the front office reportedly has restricted free agent big men like Walker Kessler on its radar.
