Deandre Ayton has been an impressive defender for the Lakers this season. Ayton has been a force inside, leading the team in blocks, averaging nearly a rejection per game and helping the Lakers win the battle in the paint.
Los Angeles is averaging 53.1 points in the paint while allowing their opponents to score just 48.7 inside. With LeBron James back, Ayton was able to play with him for the first time in a purple and gold uniform.
The result was the Lakers destroying the Jazz, winning 140-126. After the game, Ayton showered LeBron with praise for his ability to keep the Lakers organized on the defensive side of the ball.
“He makes life easy,” Ayton said postgame. “With his passing and his IQ. Hearing his voice out there, me being the last line of defense and him seeing everything and knowing every play and the whole league’s personnel, it enhances some of my abilities being a defender and a rim protector. Knowing that he’s the low man and I can cheat out a little bit and help our guards and pick and roll a little bit more.”
Defense is a team effort, especially in the modern NBA, where opponents play at blistering paces and there’s constant switching that occurs. So, of course, Ayton appreciates LeBron being another veteran communicator who can help keep the team organized defensively.
LeBron being part of any five-man unit means that’s one more person who always knows what’s going on and can call out coverages and adjustments on the fly.
As Ayton mentioned, that only makes his defensive job that much easier. Yes, he’s the last line of defense, but if the rest of his teammates remain organized, he won’t be in as many bad scenarios trying to clean up errors if fewer mistakes happen.
Lakers fans saw LA’s defense reach a high level during the second half against the Jazz. The Lakers held Utah to just 22 points in the quarter, flipping the game from a close contest where the Lakers were trailing into an easy win as the starters rested in the last few minutes of the fourth quarter.
LeBron James helped make that happen, but it was also due to head coach JJ Redick challenging his team to be better defensively at halftime.
The Lakers responded to that request and showed a glimpse of how good they can be once they put all phases of the game together.
The chemistry between Ayton and LeBron will take some time. We saw that Austin Reaves and Luka Dončić took a few games to understand how Ayton liked to play offensively, and the same growing pains will happen with Ayton and Bron defensively.
However, even with this small sample size, there were plenty of things to like defensively. As the season progresses, it will only get better, and we could very well see the Lakers become a respectable defensive team that can generate stops when they have to.
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.