The Los Angeles Lakers benched Deandre Ayton for the final 9:38 of their win over the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday night because of his poor play. It was the third straight game head coach JJ Redick was forced to go away from the big man. The Lakers were down 12 when he was removed from the game and came back to win by six in Dallas. It led to Ayton having the worst plus-minus on the team, and made it clear that he must play better.
Luka Doncic was not going to lose against his former team, and coach Redick made sure to get the best out of him. The Mavs sent plenty of doubles at LA’s superstar. They wanted to force someone else to beat them. It led to Ayton tying for the Lakers' most shot attempts in an abysmal performance.
Ayton signed with the Lakers to be their starting center, but it may not last long. This move had disaster written all over it from the jump. Ayton has flamed out on two franchises, and his inconsistent play makes it difficult for his team to contend. Lakers fans are witnessing that maddening reality firsthand.
Lakers benched Deandre Ayton again, but he isn’t getting the message
Ayton finished with nine points, 11 rebounds, and one block in 24 minutes of action in Dallas on Saturday night. Those numbers seem fine on the surface, but he made just four of his 16 shot attempts and struggled to protect the rim. The Lakers were worse with Ayton on the floor and completed an impressive comeback without him.
Ayton was benched in the previous game against the Clippers and missed the second half against the Nuggets with an eye injury. Over the three contests, the Lakers have been outscored by 27 points in his 60 minutes on the floor. They have managed to win two of those games, despite the big man’s struggles.
This has been the story of Ayton’s career. When the former number one overall draft pick is locked in and engaged on both ends of the floor, his team looks unstoppable. The Lakers are 14-0 when Ayton scores 17 or more points this season. They are 10-2 if he gets 11 or more rebounds. On the nights when he’s not engaged, things don’t go well. Los Angeles hasn’t won his minutes when he has scored ten or fewer points.
The Lakers desperately need Ayton. Luka Doncic likes to have a big man as his pick-and-roll partner. If Ayton is struggling, they only have Jaxson Hayes on the roster. LA is forced to go small beyond that and piece together the minutes at the five.
Ayton was excited to join a contender and thought he had a starting role with massive minutes locked down. Coach Redick is not afraid to sit Ayton on the nights when he struggles. The Lakers can’t have their center going four of 16 from the field and missing everything at the rim, so he sat out the stretch run for the second straight game.
It is on Deandre Ayton to answer the Los Angeles Lakers' challenge. If he locks in and plays his best, the team is a serious contender. Otherwise, they struggle to win. LA needs Ayton to anchor the defense, rebound, and score easy buckets inside. If he is unwilling to do it, the Lakers have no choice but to move on.
Benching him may be just the beginning. The message has been sent. All fans can do is stay tuned to see how Ayton responds.