JJ Redick Sends Strong Message After Deandre Ayton Injury
After the Los Angeles Lakers squeaked out a 108-106 win over the Utah Jazz, coach JJ Redick delivered a strong message regarding Deandre Ayton‘s injury. Ayton was ruled out of the second half due to a right knee contusion.
Speaking to the media in his postgame press conference, Redick was asked about an update on Ayton’s condition. The second-year coach didn’t want to speculate on his big man’s injury, but he wanted everyone to know that it’s next man up for his team.
“I mean, everybody’s got to be ready. I don’t want to speculate on DA, but you know, we feel confident that we have enough options,” Redick said.
Ayton was unable to practice on Saturday because of illness, but he was cleared to play against the Jazz. However, he suffered a right knee contusion after colliding with Ace Bailey in the first quarter. He tried to play through the injury before getting ruled out of the second half.
“He had gotten hit on his leg in the first half and was kind of limping through it. And then couldn’t go in the second half,” Redick said, via ESPN.
The former No. 1 pick finished with just two points, two rebounds and one steal in 13 minutes.
Redick’s Options if Ayton Gets Ruled Out
The Los Angeles Lakers haven’t released an update on Deandre Ayton‘s injury. They are flying back home to Los Angeles, so Ayton is likely to be evaluated on Monday before an official diagnosis is announced. The Lakers are set to start a four-game homestand on November 25 against the Los Angeles Clippers.
If Ayton gets ruled out, coach JJ Redick has solid options off the bench. Jaxson Hayes and Maxi Kleber split the minutes at center in the second half, as per Bleacher Report. Hayes is more of a rim runner and prefers to be in the dunker’s spot, while Kleber stretches the floor with his 3-point shooting.
Ayton is having a solid start to his Lakers career, averaging 15.5 points and 8.4 rebounds per game. He signed a two-year, $16 million deal with the purple and gold franchise in free agency. He has a player option for next season, so he’s playing for a new contract.
Ayton Underappreciated This Season
After recording three consecutive 20-point, 10-rebound games, Deandre Ayton received a shoutout from NBA analyst MJ Acosta-Ruiz. The host of The Association on NBA TV praised Ayton’s performances for the Los Angeles Lakers this season, describing his contribution to the 12-win team as “underappreciated.”
“He has been going off; he has four 20 and 10 games already through the season, which is what he had all of last year. And he is anchoring this Lakers defense at the moment. I think he’s one of those guys…you can’t discount what he’s been doing thus far this season,” Acosta-Ruiz said, via Basketball Network.
Ayton has looked comfortable alongside Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves. He’s expected to thrive with LeBron James as well, so he’s going to be a huge factor throughout the season for the Lakers. He might never live up to his potential as a former No. 1 pick, but he could carve out a perfect role in Hollywood.
Warriors have perfect silver lining to take from brutal Al Horford update
The Golden State Warriors will be without Al Horford for at least three games as the veteran center manages what the franchise is listing as sciatic nerve irritation stemming from Friday's loss to the Portland Trail Blazers.
It's a brutal update for the Warriors who already have question marks surrounding their center rotation, but Horford's absence does offer them a perfect silver lining in being able to evaluate their options before the mid-season trade deadline.
Quinten Post has major opportunity in Al Horford's injury absence
With Horford out, head coach Steve Kerr will have no choice but to lean more heavily on the young duo of Quinten Post and Trayce Jackson-Davis. This offers a major opportunity, particularly for Post, to grab hold of the sort of consistent rotation role that hasn't been forthcoming so far this season.
Despite easily ranking second on the team in plus-minus behind Draymond Green through the first 18 games, Post has averaged just 15 minutes per game which not only ranks 10th among all Warrior players, but is also less than he played during an impressive rookie campaign.
The 25-year-old did start in the second-half against the Trail Blazers, finishing with seven rebounds, four rebounds and three steals in just under 17 minutes. Steve Kerr confirmed after the game that he and the coaching staff would have to consider bringing Post back into the starting lineup, particularly after a game in which they were out-rebounded 62-38 on the way to a 127-123 defeat.
Horford's absence means we'll almost definitely see an uptick in Post's minutes, allowing fans and the coaching staff to get a better guage on whether his reasonably positive per 36 numbers can actually be sustained, or if they're just a by-product of a lesser role.
This is also an incredibly important period to assess the frontcourt rotation as a whole, with many already believing that the Warriors need a trade to fortify that area. They've already been listed as a potential destination for All-Star big man Anthony Davis, while Domantas Sabonis is another big name who has been brought up in speculation.
Yet if Post can start delivering consistent performances on the back of consistent opportunity, then Golden State may not need to concern themselves with a center upgrade. That starts on Monday against the Jaz where, given the presence of seven-footers Jusuf Nurkic and Lauri Markkanen, Post could be ushered back into a constantly changing starting lineup.
