During the second quarter of the Los Angeles Lakers' contest with the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday, Deandre Ayton showed a lack of hustle and effort that led to JJ Redick immediately benching him. After a missed Pelicans free throw, Ayton didn't make an effort to contest the rebound and allowed it to go to Yves Missi.
From there, Missi threw the ball to a cutting Trey Murphy, who swooped in for the layup. The whole time this was going on, Ayton was mostly stationary, not moving his feet or looking to make something happen defensively. Redick's action to bench him right away was 100% justified, and this moment represented exactly why some Lakers fans were terrified of Ayton the moment he joined the team.
Ayton has always had the physical tools to be a starting-caliber center in this league. The concern has always lived elsewhere, in the areas that don't show up in a box score: effort, consistency, and trust. This single possession against New Orleans captured why those questions have followed him from stop to stop throughout his career.
For a Lakers team already with a pretty thin margin for error, those moments matter more than they ever have. LA doesn't have the margin to absorb mental lapses or half-effort possessions, especially in a Western Conference that punishes mistakes immediately. When a center doesn't sprint or contest, the damage spreads quickly. Defensive coverage breaks down and momentum swings before anyone can react.
If Ayton wants to play lazy defense like this, standing around, then complaining that he doesn’t get touches on offense, Redick has to bench him. This is embarrassing. pic.twitter.com/f1bBVgXpr4
— SLO HOOPS FAN 🇸🇮 (@SloHoopsFan) January 7, 2026
Deandre Ayton looked lost on this possession
Redick’s response told the whole story. He didn't wait for a stoppage or try to let the moment pass, he went straight to the bench. JJ has been clear about the standards he expects, and pulling Ayton in that moment reinforced that message to everyone in the arena and watching from home.
This is also why Ayton’s role in LA feels so delicate. His expectations are relatively simple: defend the paint, rebound, and finish the plays created for you. Those are controllable responsibilities, and when the results don't come, there's not a lot of forgiveness to be had.
It's obvious that this Lakers team needs reliability, not just when things are going well, but when adversity sets in. Ayton’s history suggests those moments are going to continue to be his problem areas.
That doesn't mean this experiment is finished. Ayton still has time to respond, but the leash is clearly short. This was never about one seemingly insignificant rebound, it was about whether Ayton would dial it up a notch and do what was asked of him. This was a bad moment, but Lakers fans can hold on to hope that he'll leave these kinds of moments in the past if he truly wants to win.