Deandre Ayton continues to make his case for not being the Los Angeles Lakers' starting center as the playoffs approach. In Tuesday night in LA's win over the Minnesota Timberwolves, DA had 14 points and 12 rebounds. On the surface. that looks great, but there was a massive red flag in this performance.
At halftime, Ayton had recorded a 12-point, 12-rebound double-double. In the second quarter, he and Austin Reaves were terrorizing the Timberwolves. Whether it was in the pick-and-roll, on offensive putbacks, or one-on-one, Ayton was absolutely cooking Rudy Gobert.
Then, the third quarter came around. While LA pulled away, Ayton looked invisible. The former first overall pick played seven minutes of nothing basketball — no rim protection, no shot attempts, not even a rebound. Just a pair of fouls and a steal.
This type of streaky play might be acceptable for some, but the Lakers can't afford it, especially at the start of quarters. Ayton has shown time and time again that he can't bring a consistent effort for a full game, and because of that, he is much better suited for a bench role on this team.
Deandre Ayton is unfortunately forcing the Lakers' hand
In that third quarter, Reaves and Luka Doncic went off. They had 30 of the Lakers' 39 points in the quarter.
At the center spot, there are more ways to impact the game than score. The fact that he played seven minutes and couldn't even grab a single rebound after having a double-double in the first half is ridiculous. For JJ Redick, the game should tell him all he needs to know about DA potentially being the team's starting center come playoff time.
While watching the first half of this game, I wrote down that Ayton may finally be turning a new leaf. I was fully prepared to wake up and write something focused on how Ayton dominating Gobert could be the confidence booster he's needed all season. His play in the second half canceled those plans.
Moving Ayton to the bench full-time may seem harsh, but it's needed.
One thing no one can take away from him is that he can score. He was literally Pac-12 Player of the Year as a freshman at Arizona. So for LA, the best way to maximize Ayton's inside scoring is to let him come off the bench and focus on that part of his game.
The Lakers don't ask much from their starting center (rebound, protect the rim, and catch lobs). Time and time again, Ayton has shown it's still too much. Pair that with his inability to play a consistent, complete game, and you have all the warning signs needed to remove him from the starting five entirely.