With LeBron James expected to miss at least three weeks of action because of a case of sciatica, new Los Angeles Lakers starting center Deandre Ayton has an opportunity to get more touches and establish himself as a major difference-maker.
He has looked strong defensively in the team’s first two preseason games, but he wasn’t involved much offensively. Some have been wondering how exactly he will be utilized offensively, especially given his many skills on that end of the floor.
During an appearance on SiriusXM NBA Radio, Lakers coach JJ Redick elaborated a little on how he will use Ayton on offense.
“I think it’s important for him to touch the basketball because we’re going to ask a lot of him as a screener and a rim runner and the anchor of our defense so there has to be some level of freedom.
“… I think for all our bigs their ability to put pressure on the rim as a runner and as a lob threat is really important. And with Deandre he gives us something that we didn’t have last year post-trade which is if teams do go to reds –switches– he historically, and we’ve seen it in practice, he historically has been great at punishing smaller defenders at the front of the rim.”
Los Angeles will have to find a way to take advantage of Ayton’s ability to post up in a halfcourt setting and either overpower smaller defenders or simply score over the top. That way, he could at least partly replace what the team lost when it traded superstar big man Anthony Davis for Luka Doncic in February.
Ayton has career averages of 16.4 points on 59% field-goal shooting and 10.5 rebounds a game. His most productive season on offense came during the 2019-20 campaign when he put up 18.2 points per game for the Phoenix Suns.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: JJ Redick expands on what Deandre Ayton’s offensive role will be
Reporting by Robert Marvi, LeBron Wire / LeBron Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
