When was the last time you saw a Los Angeles Lakers center pulling just 1 defensive rebound in 24 minutes? The lack of motor and lack of points for Deandre Ayton have once again come back to haunt the Purple and Gold. Many people have called him out for his lack of effort at times, but it was most apparent during Game 3 of the Western Conference Semifinals, as JJ Redick was questioning his decisions.

With 9:21 remaining for the final horn, the Lakers were trailing by 9. The Thunder had possession as Ajay Mitchell crashed into the paint and attempted a floater. While it did not hit the basket, what ensued later proved again that Ayton has limited abilities. He failed to win two rebounds, first, it was to an undersized guard, Michell, and second was to the OKC center Hartenstein. The camera was perfectly aligned on the Lakers coach, who went back to his seat. That’s when Redick uttered, “I can’t play him,” to his assistant coach. Even the veteran ESPN broadcaster, Doris Burke, was frustrated.

“And this is what drive you mad if you JJ Redick. And it’s why we have thought he has called the numbers of different bigs in this matchup. Maxi and Thiero hadn’t played much, but you (Ayton) better bring a higher degree of intensity and physicality. You can’t put two light hands on him and walk casually when Isaiah Hartenstein is trying to get a rebound. That will not get it done.” The Lakers were outscored by 25 points in the second half, the second-worst in a home playoff game for the Lakers since they moved to LA.

 

Deandre Ayton’s last contribution came at the 8:54 mark, where he pushed off Mitchell, after once again failing to defend his spot. He only played 3 minutes in the final frame, as JJ Redick decided it was enough to hook him off. Apart from his defensive issues, the ability to catch the ball for a lob was also missing for the majority of the night. His offensive contributions were just 10 points, and in Game 2, he had the worst performance of this year’s playoffs with just 1-7 shooting.

The former No. 1 pick has a habit of making the same mistakes when the season is on the line, and those errors almost immediately end up in the opponent’s favor. In Game 2, he posted only three points and 10 rebounds in 27 minutes. In Game 1, he had 10 points and 12 rebounds. It’s not the first time that the head coach aired his frustration with the 27-year-old.

Deandre Ayton fails to uphold his learnings

Injuries, inconsistency, bench stints, and public critiques have marred Ayton’s first season with the Purple and Gold franchise. During the regular season games, there was a period when the Lakers’ head coach chose Jaxson Hayes or Maxi Kleber over DA. The situation was so bad that the head coach had to call out his poor catching habits, which shouldn’t exist for an NBA player.

“I just started looking in the mirror and said, ‘Yo bro, … you’re not that guy,” DA said in March. “You don’t need to be on this team doing that at all. This team, you came here to be the effort guy and close out possessions, rebound. Run the damn floor hard as hell, make bigs work, make superstars work.’” Clearly, he has failed to be the effort guy during the Thunder series. The Lakers are one loss away from a sweep and will have to win four in a row to advance to the NBA Finals. If they do, Ayton has to look again in the mirror and find that motivation is the X factor.

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