Life with Deandre Ayton as the starting center is going exactly how everyone said it would go, to be fair. Some nights, Ayton is a highly efficient scorer who deters opponents at the rim. Every once in a while, that No. 1 pick shines through.
Most nights, however, he's more frustrating than he is productive. He can make mid-range jumpshots, but I think he just enjoys taking them so much he doesn't really care if they go in or not. And on nights when things go wrong, they seem to snowball for Ayton; a missed shot turns into five, then his effort often wanes, and before fans know it, he's not producing much of anything for the Lakers.
Ayton's numbers remain pretty good; he's averaging about 13 & 9 on 66 percent shooting from the field. But the eye test does not do him any favors, and his fear in creating contact — a trait that has haunted him his whole career — remains a major area of concern. Ayton isn't asked to carry much of an offensive load because he's surrounded by stars. So giving effort is about half his job, and he isn't interested in doing that.
In recent days, Ayton's playing time has taken a considerable dip. He's played under 25 minutes each of the past four games, while Jaxson Hayes' minutes have seen an increase. Hayes is one of the first Lakers off the bench each night, and his consistent energy is a change of pace from Ayton, even if Ayton is a far more skilled player. There's no sign that Ayton is interested in regaining those starter's minutes, either, and his importance in this team's rotation might just keep tanking if he keeps playing like this.
Ayton's minutes have dropped, but Lakers might not have other options
JJ Redick's back is against the wall here. Of course, the Lakers would love to acquire a playable big man at the trade deadline who can protect the rim consistently. But to think there's a perfect starting center out there who will fall into the Lakers' lap is probably not realistic.
In short — Ayton will have to play a lot of minutes for the rest of the season. But it's clear from his recent shrinking minute distribution that JJ Redick is not pleased with what he's seeing from Ayton on a nightly basis. Do you know how hard it is to lose minutes the game after you go 10-10 from the field and scoring 25 points? Extremely! But somehow Ayton managed to do it!
Pinning all of the Lakers' problems on their starting center isn't fair, and Ayton is not solely responsible for everything that needs fixing. But man, this Lakers team with a bought-in Deandre Ayton would look a whole lot different. Unfortunately, "bought in Deandre Ayton" is turning into an urban legend.