The Los Angeles Lakers’ head coach JJ Redick and star player LeBron James praised center Deandre Ayton on Mar. 17 following the team’s victory over the Houston Rockets. Ayton, who was benched midway through the third quarter with the Lakers trailing, returned late in the fourth quarter to play a key role in securing the win.
Ayton’s performance became significant as he contributed five rebounds—four of them offensive—and scored crucial points during his time back on the court. His efforts helped shift momentum for the Lakers, who were behind when he re-entered the game.
James commended Ayton’s impact after sitting out for an extended period, saying on Spectrum SportsNet, “He was amazing. I mean, just the fact that he was sitting over there for as long as he did and stayed locked in on the game and come in and finish the game, got a tip dunk and a couple of jump hooks around the rim, a couple rebounds. He helped us finish the game.”
Redick also discussed his decision to bring Ayton back into play during a critical timeout. “We had a decision to make about who the fifth guy was gonna be in that timeout and we all recognized that he had not played in a significant portion of the game, and then you factor in the real-time effect of that,” Redick said on Spectrum SportsNet. He added, “I was pretty adamant that I wanted him in the game, Greg went over to him and made sure that he was ready to go. And he helped us win the game and that’s what I told him. We walked off the court together and he was in good spirits. But he did, his offensive rebounding and the couple of buckets he got down the stretch were huge.”
Despite previous criticisms regarding Ayton’s consistency this season, both James and Redick highlighted his focus during Monday’s match as pivotal for their success.
James described Monday’s defensive effort as indicative of playoff basketball for Los Angeles: “Those are the types of wins they are going to need to have come playoff time,” referencing how staying locked in defensively led them to victory.