Deandre Ayton's honeymoon phase with the Los Angeles Lakers has officially come to a close. Lakers head coach JJ Redick recently benched Ayton in the fourth quarter of their game against the Memphis Grizzlies, electing to go with Jaxson Hayes instead.
“He was playing better,” Redick said after the win.
That controversial decision likely saved the game for Los Angeles, which went on to win 128-121 after outscoring Memphis by seven in the fourth. Ayton finished the contest with just four points and six rebounds in 25 minutes.
Lakers realizing Deandre Ayton isn't a viable starting center
This development should have Lakers fans concerned that they are back to square one in terms of their search for an answer in the frontcourt. Hayes isn't a starting-level center by any stretch of the imagination, and their lack of center options was a glaring issue that was exposed in last season's failed postseason run.
The Lakers were hoping Ayton would be the solution to those problems following his buyout from the Portland Trail Blazers. He even played relatively well early on, averaging 16.6 points and 9.0 rebounds in November, playing a key role in the Lakers' strong start to the season. But Blazers fans who have gone through the Ayton experience the past two seasons knew that Los Angeles was overly reliant on a flawed player.
It was only a matter of time before Ayton either regressed or lost interest, falling back into old habits that led both Phoenix and Portland to move on from the former No. 1 overall pick.
Ayton benefited from a change of scenery with an early-season surge, but that appears to be predictably fading as the season progresses. Given their desperation at the position and Ayton's reasonable two-year, $16.2 million contract, the Lakers shouldn't necessarily regret their decision to bring Ayton in this offseason. He'd even be sercivable in a backup capacity with that contract. But it's clear they need to upgrade their starting center either by the deadline or, more likely, in the upcoming offseason.
Offensively, Ayton isn't an ideal pairing for Luka Doncic. He's also not the defensive anchor the Lakers need to compensate for their offensive-minded stars. The Lakers rank 25th in defensive rating (117.7), and will never achieve significant playoff success in the Doncic era until they address that end of the court.
With the play of Donovan Clingan this season, the Blazers can't help but laugh at the Ayton-Lakers situation unraveling. Los Angeles still needs to find a long-term starting center while Portland wisely cleared the path for theirs.