Defensive rebounding was a key issue for Deandre Ayton and the Los Angeles Lakers in their Game 3 blowout loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Despite playing 24 minutes, Ayton finished with just ten points and six rebounds, only one of which came on the defensive end. Lakers head coach JJ Redick subbed out Ayton with nine minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, after he not only failed to possess multiple rebound opportunities but also surrendered an and-one.
Ayton may have all the talent in the world as a former No. 1 overall pick, but Portland Trail Blazers (and Phoenix Suns) fans knew he would never actually reach that potential.
It isn't a talent problem for Ayton; it's a mindset problem. He ultimately doesn't impact winning as much as one would hope, and it seems the Lakers have come to that same realization after just one season in Los Angeles.
Deandre Ayton was excited to join the Lakers
Ayton has consistently voiced his excitement about joining the historic Lakers franchise and the giant Los Angeles market. After being bought out by Portland last summer, Ayton said he was "somewhere where it counts now". Those unnecessary jabs at the Blazers -- the one team to take a chance on his upside after a rocky start to his career in Phoenix -- continued recently when Ayton told The Athletic's Dan Wolke that he felt like he "disappeared" in Portland.
"This is where people make their names, and this is where people get to see you play for real," Ayton said. "It's a big stage, and I'm truly happy to be back."
Now the Lakers find themselves down 3-0 in their second-round series against the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder. Cancun is calling, and the Lakers will be forced to pick up the phone sooner rather than later.
It's looking like a one-way street
Luka Doncic's injury certainly played a huge factor in the predictably short series. But realistically, even at full strength, this currently assembled Lakers roster was never going to be a contender. They have serious roster flaws, starting with their questionable frontcourt depth.
It's still shocking to me that, after seeing how poorly last year's playoffs went, the Lakers applied a band-aid solution to their frontcourt problem by signing Deandre Ayton, who the Blazers didn't even want. Ayton may have forfeited $10 million of his salary in the buyout agreement, but this move was literally Portland saying it would pay money not to have him around the team.
The Lakers are coming to a similar conclusion of their own, as evidenced by previous rumors of viewing Ayton as a stopgap rather than a long-term solution, and most recently, Redick's justified decision to bench him in the fourth quarter of what was essentially a win-or-go-home game.
Ayton may be excited to play for the Lakers, but I'm not sure the Lakers feel the same way. His lack of motor was on full display in this blowout loss to the Thunder.
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