There’s nothing more frustrating for a basketball fan than watching a big man who has all the tools to be an unstoppable force at the rim settle for jump shot after jump shot. For Los Angeles Lakers fans, this has been a frustration they’ve suffered through this season with Deandre Ayton.
For the majority of the 2025-26 campaign, Ayton has frustrated LA fans with his constant settling and lack of aggressiveness in the post unless he has a clear mismatch. Ayton recently took accountability for this and has shifted his game more toward the role JJ Redick wants him to play as a big man who protects the rim and finishes plays.
Even so, the desire to settle for jumpers still lingers. While that may seem like a bad thing, Ayton's frequency and ability to take and make short mid-range jump shots can actually give the Lakers a massive advantage in the playoffs.
The fact that opposing defenses have to at least respect Ayton's ability to convert in the mid-range will draw bigs further away from the basket and help LA's isolation offense. Having Ayton create just a little more room for Luka Doncic could be dangerous for opposing defenses.
Deandre Ayton’s midrange game could be a playoff weapon
This season, Ayton ranks in the 92nd percentile in midrange shot frequency among other bigs in the league, according to Cleaning the Glass. In fact, 45 percent of his shot attempts have come from the midrange this season. That is something opposing coaches consider when game-planning against the Lakers, and it is also something Redick should incorporate into his strategy.
Using Ayton as someone who can sit around the nail or high post and look for his middy would create openings for the team's three elite perimeter players. With a cast of Luka, LeBron James, and Austin Reaves, LA has no problem scoring in isolation.
Problems arise when double teams are sent, or there is an overwhelming amount of help defense. Which is why, in the playoffs, when the floor shrinks and defenses are more connected, having a big man who can knock down his jumper creates difficulties for teams to scheme against.
Ayton, in a way, is giving LA a pick-your-poison offense. Whether he's pulling someone like Rudy Gobert away from the basket and creating a baseline driving lane for Luka, or he's getting helped off of and left open, the Lakers should score on those possessions.
It is easy to understand the frustrations of Lakers fans believing Ayton needs to be a threat at the rim and stop settling for jumpers. But now, as the playoffs near, it’s becoming clear that this part of his game can make the lives of Luka, LeBron, and Reaves that much easier.