PALM DESERT — The two plays didn’t go Deandre Ayton’s way, but they didn’t fully define his game.
At the 6:48 mark of the first quarter of the Lakers’ blowout preseason-opening loss to the Phoenix Suns on Friday, Ayton caught an entry pass from Austin Reaves just three feet from the basket after creating advantageous positioning on his postup against Suns big man Oso Ighodaro.
Just a single second passed after Ayton caught the ball before he flung a baby hook shot toward the basket for his first field-goal attempt as a Laker, with the ball hitting the back of the rim and being rebounded by Grayson Allen.
Nearly a full quarter later, Ayton got his next best opportunity to score his first points – albeit in a preseason game – with the Lakers. Reaves rejected a screen from Rui Hachimura out of double drag, with Ayton positioned to be the second screener. Reaves’ defender, Ryan Dunn, was caught off balance as Reaves drove towards the basket, resulting in Ighodaro abandoning Ayton and sinking into the paint to cut Reaves off.
A gap in the defense opened up just wide enough for Reaves to make an underhanded pass to Ayton as he was rolling toward the basket. But Ayton’s left-handed layup rolled around the front of the rim before the ball fell into Ighodaro’s hands.
For Ayton, even in a game Luka Doncic and LeBron James didn’t play, those were all of his shot attempts for the game.
He scored his lone point after splitting a pair of free throws in the first quarter.
Ayton, the Lakers’ top free-agent signing whom the franchise is hoping will fortify their big man rotation after lacking a significant interior presence for last season’s stretch run, finished with just a pair of field-goal attempts against the Suns in 18 minutes.
But for Ayton, who’s averaged 12.4 field-goal attempts per game for his career and has never taken two or fewer shots in a regular-season or playoff game, there wasn’t any concern about his offensive usage.
“This is where it counts, so everything matters,” the 2018 No. 1 draft pick said postgame. “It don’t even matter if you shooting, scoring, scoring, shooting … you got Luka Doncic, you got LeBron James and Austin Reaves. You trust those playmakers. And if you get more than two shots, then that was how the game’s supposed to go.
“[Coach] JJ [Redick] is trusting these dudes to be our main primary ball-handlers. And me being the big man in the paint, I’m absorbing all of that. It is probably [going to] be hard not to touch the ball with them great playmakers, to be honest.”
Ayton’s impact was felt in other ways during his time on the court.
The 27-year-old big man grabbed eight rebounds, blocked a pair of shots and recorded a steal in his 18 minutes, anchoring a Lakers defense that overall had a subpar showing against the Suns.
The steal was a highlight play for Ayton, who hustled back after missing the layup in the second quarter and broke up a lob pass from Jared Butler to Ighodaro to help the Lakers regain possession.
“I wanted to show the team I’m more committed on [the] defensive end than the offense, in a way,” Ayton said. “Like I [said] from the get-go, I’m not really here for numbers. I’m just here for whatever the Lakers really want me to do. And the main objective is really protecting that rim and closing out our possessions.
“And I had fun, just blocking some shots, being that anchor and seeing how the guys responded to me, just with terminology and stuff like that. It was fun, honestly.”
Redick is confident Ayton’s offensive production will come as his comfort with his new teammates grows.
“It’s just getting comfortable and in a rhythm for him,” the coach said. “Part of the reason we wanted him with us and on this team with this group is the partnership with Luka and what we think that will look like. There’s a rhythm and comfort level with AR (Reaves) that’s gonna develop as well. That will develop. [When] he gets comfortable playing with those two guys in pick and roll, you’ll see his offensive output.
“But he did make a couple plays. I know he missed one at the rim and hustled back and broke up a lob play. There were some bright moments for him, too.”
Reaves echoed Redick.
“There’s a lot that he’s got to learn within our system and you can’t grade him off of 16, 17 minutes of basketball,” he said. “Obviously, if you’ve watched him play in the past, he’s super skilled. He can play both ends. He had a couple really good blocks. We – myself, included – have to figure out how to help him a little bit more on the offensive end. Get him the ball where he wants to have it. But that will come with time. We’ve had three practices together and [Friday]. That will all come with time, and we’re very excited to have him.”
LAKERS AT WARRIORS
When: 5:30 p.m. Sunday
Where: Chase Center, San Francisco
TV/Radio: ESPN, Spectrum SportsNet/710 AM