The Los Angeles Lakers are set for an uphill battle after taking care of business in round one against the Houston Rockets. The Lakeshow will now be tasked with preventing the reigning NBA Champion Oklahoma City Thunder from continuing their pursuit of a repeat.
Obviously, the biggest challenge against this Thunder team will be trying to slow down the likely back-to-back league MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who is coming off a round one series where he averaged 33.8 points per game. But aside from SGA, this Thunder team is also poised to give the Lakers some serious fits in the paint and on the glass.
With a big man tandem that features Isaiah Hartenstein and Chet Holmgren, Deandre Ayton and Jaxson Hayes will have their work cut out for them.
However, there should still be plenty of room for optimism. In the final three games of LA's first-round series, Ayton's play, particularly on the glass, took a huge step in the right direction. During those games of the series, DA recorded 43 rebounds, averaging 14.3 per game. If he can bring that same effort and presence on the glass, the Lakers will have a real puncher's chance in round two.
Deandre Ayton’s fight on the glass could flip this series
All season, Ayton would enter games with a massive size advantage but shied away from leaning on that size to create advantages and opportunities for himself and teammates. But in the final three games of LA's series against Houston, he started connecting the dots.
“You have to have some type of stop sign where enough is enough. ... So I just tried to play as I am, the biggest dude on the court, and just go out and get every damn rebound," Ayton told reporters after the Game 6 win over the Rockets.
I'm not sure if Marcus Smart busted out the tape measure and made DA stand against the wall to remind him he’s seven feet tall. But whatever truly led to this mentality shift, the Lakers better hope it's here to stay. This team is going to need all the help in the world against OKC.
In this era of Thunder basketball, they've never been a team known to dominate the glass or crush opponents in the rebounding margin. However, they are a team that, if given second-chance scoring opportunities, will punish you.
That's where Ayton can come in and be a real difference-maker. In those final three games against Houston, he had a different look in his eye when a shot would go up—it was a ‘see ball, get ball’ mentality for him.
It didn't matter if Alperen Sengun was standing right there or if two people were boxing him out. He was getting that ball.
Against Houston, staying competitive on the glass was a way to neutralize the Rockets offense, which is predicated on second-chance scoring. Against OKC, winning the rebounding margin is about surviving.
The Thunder are going to be physical and gritty any time a shot goes up. How Ayton is able to handle Hartenstein, in particular, will be a real decider in this series. Whether it's closing out a strong defensive possession or creating a second scoring chance, the way DA handles himself on the glass could make or break the Lakers' chances in round two.
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