For anyone questioning whether Deandre Ayton has what it takes to forge a meaningful on-court partnership with Luka Doncic, JJ Redick would like you to know this isn’t actually a question at all. Of course he can make a difference…because he played with Chris Paul.
Asked about the potential of a two-man game between Ayton and Doncic, the Los Angeles Lakers’ freshly extended head coach waxed poetic about all the big man learned during his three years operating alongside CP3:
JJ Redick says he has high hopes for the two-man game we’ll see with Luka and Deandre Ayton, noting how much of an education Ayton got spending so much time with someone as smart/detail-oriented as Chris Paul.
— Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols) September 25, 2025
Ayton did play some of his best basketball next to Paul. Generally speaking, he’s at his best when he’s alongside a competent floor general who can get him the ball in the optimal spots.
It should come as no surprise his points were almost always harder to come by through two years with the Portland Trail Blazers, a team entirely bereft of a proven playmaker. Landing with the Lakers gets Ayton back to where he’s best suited: next to someone who can tee him up over and over again.
Luka Doncic can simplify Deandre Ayton’s offensive role
Through three seasons with CP3, across both the regular season and playoffs, Ayton saw his average shot distance decline and his overall usage rate tick up whenever he operated alongside the point guard. And when he didn’t have Paul to feed him the ball, he had Devin Booker, another high-level tactician when it comes to optimizing bigs who can work in short-roll situations.
Not unlike CP3, Luka is the type of offensive force who extracts the best out of both: decision-making bigs, and those who have the ability to play above the rim. Look no further than the chemistry he forged with Dereck LIvely II during their time together on the Dallas Mavericks.
Though Ayton receives a lot of flak for playing below the rim, he has the lob-catching element ingrained in his game. Last year, on a Blazers squad with very few playmakers, over 19 percent of his made baskets came out of alley-oop situations. That is more than double the share of his converted shots that came out of alley-oops during his final year in Phoenix (8 percent).
Just imagine what he’ll be able to do alongside Doncic—one of the most transcendent lob-passers the NBA has ever seen.
The Lakers are not setting Ayton up for failure
Invoking visions of Peak Ayton—or DominAyton—could theoretically get the Lakers into trouble. Setting the bar too high for the big man is a recipe for disappointment. Consistency remains his biggest issue all these years later.
Los Angeles has nothing to worry about here.
This isn’t Phoenix, or Portland. The Lakers have Ayton on a one-plus-one deal worth less than the mid-level exception. They are saddling themselves with exactly zero risk.
It likewise helps that they’re working off a low baseline. Jaxson Hayes was the Lakers big man to whom Doncic passed the most last season. Even the less-than-ideal version of Ayton constitutes an upgrade.
And hey, let’s not forget that Hayes shot over 73 percent off Luka’s passes. If he can do that, just think of what playing beside Doncic could do for Ayton.