Deandre Ayton focuses on ‘playing bigger' against Thunder
EL SEGUNDO - Belief. Attention to detail. And voice.
Those are the three keys Lakers coach JJ Redick zeroed in on for what could carry over from their first-round triumph over the Houston Rockets heading into their second-round clash with the defending NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder. Game 1 is Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. PT at Paycom Center.
And there might not be a player on the Lakers feeling more belief than center Deandre Ayton after returning to the playoffs for the first time since 2023.
"D.A.'s had a great season," Redick said. "He was instrumental in us getting past Houston. I think his baseline of who he is every day for the last two, two-and-a-half months has been awesome. And I know his teammates, certainly the staff, we've all embraced him all season long."
The 7-footer stamped his effort into the final three games against the Rockets, meeting the offensive rebounding ask of Redick to average a playoff-high 14.3 rebounds and 5.0 offensive rebounds over the last three games to help eliminate the Rockets, the best rebounding team in the NBA. When told Monday afternoon at practice that Redick said his play raises the ceiling of the Lakers more than any other player on the team, Ayton appeared to be taken aback by the outpouring of public praise from his coach.
"Wow," Ayton said before collecting his thoughts. "This is the playoffs, so everybody can do more, everybody has another level. And this is the second round coming in, so I think we all deserve that little bit of increase of confidence from what we've done so far and the outcome from the adversity we've faced."
Ayton and veteran guard Marcus Smart joined the Lakers under similar circumstances last summer. In career refreshes of sorts, both players signed after the Portland Trail Blazers bought out Ayton's contract and the Washington Wizards bought out Smart's contract. The Lakers took a chance on both free agents, and they ended up being the cornerstone signings of their offseason.
Whether at home or on the road, Ayton and Smart sit side by side in the locker room – figuring out the ebbs and flows of the season through constant conversation, Smart said. Ayton has previously referred to Smart as a brother's keeper, a voice of leadership during the 27-year-old big man's up-and-down season.
Did Smart know Ayton well before coming to the Lakers? No, he said.
"But it feels like a lifetime now," Smart said with a laugh.
"I'm just somebody who he respects. He sees [me] go out there and not only preaching, I'm actually doing what I'm preaching. I'm not just preaching, I'm out there with him, in the midst of it, battling with him, going through adversity with him, right? I think that drives a lot of respect for one another in that aspect, when you're going to battle with somebody. You're struggling while they're struggling right there with you, trying to help you get through yours."
The focus for Ayton now turns from the matchup with Rockets All-Star center Alperen Sengun, to the pair of Oklahoma City big men: 24-year-old All-Star Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein, 27.
In the Lakers' four regular-season games against the Thunder, all losses, Ayton averaged just 5.8 points and 4.8 rebounds. For the Lakers to have any chance in the series, they likely need Ayton to play well above those standards. Both Holmgren (11.5 ppg, 6.8 rpg) and Hartenstein (7.0 ppg, 7.0 rpg) outplayed Ayton's averages in their in-season matchups.
Ayton called the Thunder a "really unstoppable" team, referring to their scoring success in the paint. When asked what he would need to dial in against the OKC big men, along with facing the second-best defense in the NBA (the Thunder allow just 107.9 ppg), Ayton said he would have to focus on "playing bigger."
"Just being relentless on the glass, protecting the rim as much as possible and not letting them in my paint," he said. "I'm really just looking forward to protecting the paint as best as I can and staying on the floor as long as possible. That's about it."
‘NO UPDATE' ON DONCIC
Lakers star Luka Doncic (left hamstring) went through spot-up shooting drills alongside Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura when reporters entered practice on Monday morning. When directly asked about Doncic's status for Game 1 on Tuesday, and if he would be available, Redick stuck to his same response from Sunday.
"I don't have any updates on Luka," Redick said.
Last week, Doncic began increasing movement outside of doing stationary drills during the early part of his recovery process, Redick said on April 26. Two days later, Redick said Doncic had added more movement, but the Lakers have not publicly announced any changes to Doncic's recovery efforts, nor a timeline, since then.
Doncic suffered his Grade 2 left hamstring strain on April 2, the last time the Lakers played in Oklahoma City, a 139-96 loss that dramatically shifted the Lakers' season heading into the playoffs.
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This story was originally published May 4, 2026 at 1:40 PM.