EL SEGUNDO — Boston Celtics guard Baylor Scheierman watched as his teammate fired an off-target 3-point shot while the Lakers’ Deandre Ayton and LeBron James turned their backs, yet to converge on an incoming rebound opportunity.
James didn’t make an attempt for the rebound, standing to the side of the basket. Ayton, late to react, jumped toward the ball. But there was the 6-foot-6 Scheierman, using every inch of his vertical leap to jab his left hand at the ball, away from the Lakers’ 7-foot center and into a trio of passes for a second-chance opportunity. As he did six times on Sunday, Payton Pritchard capped the extra possession with another 3-pointer for what was then a 12-point lead during the third quarter of the Lakers’ 22-point loss.
The Lakers are the league’s third-worst rebounding team. Across the past 10 games, they rank dead last in the NBA with 39.2 rebounds per game. Ayton, the former No. 1 overall draft pick of the Phoenix Suns – and the big man the Lakers signed to a two-year deal in the offseason – has just one double-digit rebound game in February so far. With Lakers coach JJ Redick saying backup center Jaxson Hayes is “day-to-day” with a right ankle bruise after exiting Sunday’s game in the first quarter, Ayton could see increased attention in the days ahead with the Lakers (34-22) wrapping up their extended homestand against the Orlando Magic (30-26) on Tuesday night before a two-game trip to face Phoenix and Golden State.
“He definitely could be better, we all could,” guard Marcus Smart said. “But the thing I love about it is he understands it and he’s working. We all are trying to figure it out; this is new to everybody. He’s doing his best, but he understands it’s another notch that we need him to go to, and we’re going to try to get him there and help with that. But he knows he’s got to do his part as well.”
Smart said he’s become a shoulder to lean on for Ayton, who also joined the organization in the offseason, as the 31-year-old veteran shares the locker closest to Ayton’s at Crypto.com Arena.
“He’s very hard on himself, just like anybody else that’s trying to be the best they can be,” Smart said. “Sometimes we can be our own worst enemy, so we all need a shoulder to lean on, somebody that can help us get out of those spots when we can’t get ourselves out, and also to encourage us when we’re doing what we’re supposed to do.”
The Lakers see specific areas Ayton can improve heading into the final 26 games of the regular season. Redick pointed to a play when Celtics guard Jaylen Brown went to the floor, creating a 5-on-4 scoring opportunity – a power play of sorts – where Ayton “goes at about 20% speed.”
That’s an area, Redick said, “running, putting pressure on the rim and offensive rebounding,” especially when it comes to mismatch situations, where Ayton can be better.
“There was some real positive trends defensively,” Redick said of Ayton, referring to watching film of the 27-year-old Bahamian. “His spirit and engagement and stuff has been really good. For all the guys, if he has a smaller player on him, that’s an advantage for us. Let’s just get him the ball.”
Part of that, Redick said, requires increased ball movement through passing, something he said was lacking against the Celtics. Redick acknowledged that part of the blame, specifically against deep-drop defenses such as Boston, San Antonio and Phoenix, lands squarely on his shoulders in the preparation portion of the game.
It was short – just a 2½-minute portion of Sunday’s game – but Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, Luke Kennard and James shared the floor. They scored nine points on 3-for-5 shooting, a perfect 2 for 2 from behind the arc. Redick’s potentially all-in offensive lineup was on display, a look that could become a cornerstone of the team should they be in dire need for scoring come the playoffs.
Hachimura said that lineup could help win close games, adding that the quickness and 3-point acumen of the full lineup could make the group “great.”
“Last night we tried it,” he said. “That’s one of the lineups that we are looking for – all 3-point shooters and kind of be open in transition and all that and open up the floor.”
MAGIC AT LAKERS
When: Tuesday, 7:30 p.m.
Where: Crypto.com Arena
TV/Radio: FDSN SoCal, 710 AM
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