The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Memphis Grizzlies 120–114 last night, with Luka Doncic and LeBron James once again leading the charge. The Slovenian superstar poured in 36 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists on 10-of-20 shooting, while James added 26 points, seven rebounds and 10 assists on 8-of-14 from the field.
It was JJ Redick 's team's 12th clutch win of the season in as many close finishes, a win that pushed the Lakers into third place in the West, just ahead of the Denver Nuggets , who are beginning to feel the effects of Nikola Jokic 's injury absence.
Despite the great mood after the game, Redick pointed out Deandre Ayton's frustration with a lack of offensive touches, even though the center had a very solid performance, finishing with 15 points, eight rebounds and three blocks on 6-of-8 shooting.
" Bigs can't feed themselves. I just try my best, do what I can to bring effort, and I trust my playmakers out there to find me ," Ayton stressed in his postgame interview.
Playing alongside Doncic and James is undoubtedly a double-edged sword. While you may get the easiest looks at the basket of your entire career, your usage and touches in the paint will very likely be at an all-time low. The fact that Ayton was once the No. 1 overall pick in the draft, selected ahead of Doncic, plays no role in this current reality.
Ayton is having a very efficient season overall, averaging 14.4 points and 8.5 rebounds while shooting an elite 70.3 percent from the field. Still, he is very likely to finish a season without averaging a double-double for the first time in his career.
According to StatMuse , Ayton's usage rate this season sits at 17.6 percent, which would be a career low if it stays like this for the remainder of the regular season. According to NBA.com , he is also just fifth on the entire team in touches per game, averaging 40.9 touches per contest.
Even during his time with the Portland Trail Blazers , when he also had a somewhat reduced offensive role, he averaged 45.1 touches per game and had a higher overall usage rate. None of this is shocking, though, because throughout their careers, both Luka and LeBron have thrived with role players — rim-running, screen-setting centers who do the dirty work. That is a role the 7-foot Bahamian center has not really encountered before in his career.
While the efficiency numbers are elite offensively, the impression remains that Ayton could be more aggressive. Gilbert Arenas believes Ayton needs to be the X-factor if the Lakers hope to win a championship this season.
"I'm biased. I'm Los Angeles Lakers biased. So I'm in championship mode every year, but our ceiling is as high as the egos on this team. Our three best players get along because they played last year. They fit well, they play off each other well — two Hall of Fame playmakers — you have LeBron and you have Luka. Then you have Austin Reaves , who's just a smart basketball player," Arenas said on "REVOLT Sports".
"Now our key is Ayton. If A can be a dominant fourth option and that fourth option is averaging a double-double — 16, 18, 19 and 10 — we are really a legit contender. If Ayton is playing the way he's playing right now the rest of the season… ," Arenas added.
Doncic leads the league in usage rate and is clearly carrying a massive burden, while James has already turned 41, and Austin Reaves is out for at least another month. All of this suggests that Redick could realistically look to run more actions through Ayton in the near future, as he has already shown in his career that he is capable of carrying a larger offensive load.
The Lakers are winning, holding onto third place in the West, yet still posting a negative net rating, a somewhat unbelievable statistic. Something needs to change, because in the long term, this does not look like championship-level basketball. Redick could change that by involving Ayton more offensively to make the team more versatile.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Jan 5, 2026, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
