Injuries, inconsistency, bench stints, and public criticism have marred Deandre Ayton’s first season with the Los Angeles Lakers. On several occasions, even JJ Redick has been critical of his starting center. During Game 3 of the Conference Semifinals, Ayton again drew online criticism for his lack of effort in a crucial postseason game. The head coach even took him out immediately, but has still shown trust in the former No. 1 pick to be a potential X-factor.

During Sunday’s practice, head coach JJ Redick was asked about the sequence with Ayton when the Los Angeles Lakers struggled to get a stop and secure a rebound. It was then that the cameras caught the second-year head coach saying, “I can’t play him,” to his assistant coach. After that, DA was subbed out of the game and did not return. He finished with 10 points and six rebounds in 24 minutes, and had just 1 defensive rebound to his name.

“I’ve been around DA for a season now,” Redick said. “I know how special he is for our group to succeed. And I told him this morning, I said to him in the Houston series, at one point, he was a big part of the reason we were winning the series. He was a big part of the reason we won the series. I believe in him, and he’s going to help us win tomorrow.”

Clearly, the head coach has not given up on the 27-year-old. While that’s that, let’s not forget that the head coach had previously criticized his star center.

And it was aimed at DA’s poor catching habits, which shouldn’t exist for an NBA player.

“He’s had trouble catching the ball,” Redick stated bluntly back in April. “So, we’ve run a bunch of plays for him… I don’t know if that’s the passing or if it’s him trying to get position. He just hasn’t been able to catch the ball.”

Despite this, Ayton proved to be the difference-maker against the Houston Rockets.

Through six games, he averaged 11.8 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks on 60.4% shooting. In three of those games, he had a double-double and began the series with 19 points and 11 rebounds on 80% FG shooting. He also had a very productive performance in Game 5 with 18 points, 17 rebounds, and two blocks.

Against the Thunder, however, his numbers have dropped. Through three games, Ayton has averaged 7.7 points and 9.3 rebounds on 39.3% shooting. In Game 2, the big man had three points on 14.3% shooting.

There has been a drop in performance, but more importantly, another decline in the motor that Ayton has been criticized for throughout the season. But with JJ Redick’s public backing, things could change.

Deandre Ayton was the X-factor for a short period

After the performance against the Rockets, even Oklahoma City coach Mark Daigneault called Ayton a “priority” for the Thunder defense. Even JJ Redick had stated how DA raises the Lakers’ ceiling more than any other player. In Game 3, for the second straight game in the series, the Lakers held a halftime advantage. But it all went wrong in the third quarter. LeBron James dropped just 2 points, and Austin Reaves went scoreless in that frame. The Purple and Gold franchise was cumulative -31, but DA showed some spark early on.

He made a layup and connected on an alley-oop from James to keep the Lakers in the game. He scored six of his 10 points during a three-and-a-half-minute stretch of the third quarter. Those six early points meant the Lakers were only trailing by two at that point. But then the rest of the team continued to miss chances and committed six turnovers in total. As a result, the Oklahoma City Thunder won the third quarter 33–20 and never looked back.

No NBA team has ever come back from a 3-0 deficit in a best-of-seven playoff series. But Deandre Ayton had a strong message for the fans.

“We ain’t gonna give up,” he said on his way out of the Crypto.com Arena. “We will be back to fight on Monday.”

With the series still evolving, Ayton’s impact remains a key factor for the Los Angeles Lakers moving forward, and Redick’s trust suggests the door is far from closed.