The Los Angeles Lakers have been one of the more inconsistent teams for the past month, and yet they still hold the fourth-best record in the NBA.
At 22-11 through their first 33 games of the season, the Lakers are in a great position to possess a top-four seed in the loaded Western Conference. LA is on a bit of a streak so far as they won their second straight game on Sunday over the Memphis Grizzlies.
LA struggled for most of the first half, going down by as much as 16 points in the contest. However, the Lakers turned it on in the second half and outscored Memphis by 17 points in the final 24 minutes of the contest. While LA secured its 22nd win of the season, there was one player who was not too happy despite the win.
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Lakers center Deandre Ayton took to the podium after the win and took a subtle shot at the team.
“Bigs can’t feed themselves, and I just try my best to do what I can to bring effort, and I trust my playmakers out there to find me,” Ayton said.
Ayton finished the game with 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting from the field (the second lowest shot attempts of the team on Sunday), along with eight rebounds, one assists and three blocks.
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Lakers head coach JJ Redick made it clear that Ayton’s lack of touches doesn’t fall soley on the former No. 1 overall pick.
“He’s a highly skilled big,” Redick said. “There’s not many of those left in the NBA, just in terms of touch and shooting. … It’s on us as coaches and players to make sure he feels involved.”
Ayton has not played as well as he did in the first few months the season. In the last five games, the former Arizona Wildcat has recorded 9.4 points and 6.2 rebounds.
The 27-year-old is currently under a two-year, $16.6 million contract after a buyout wiht the Portland Trail Blazers last summer, with a player option at the end of this season. The signing with LA was a move seen as a “prove it” deal where he will look to recapture his top-pick potential and also prove that he could be worthy of being a top-level starter for years to come, whether that is with LA or not.
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