The Los Angeles Lakers are currently the NBA’s equivalent of “Days of Our Lives.” With star players LeBron James, Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, as well as former top pick Deandre Ayton, all trying to figure out how to coexist on the court, there has been plenty of drama and speculation surrounding the team.
From Luka’s constant, relentless whining and complaining to the referees to the Lakers’ porous defense to Ayton expressing unhappiness with his current role, the Purple and Gold have had to put out numerous fires throughout the season.
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According to former NBA guard Raymond Felton, a viable solution to address Ayton’s gripes with his role on the team’s offense is to send him to the bench to play with the second unit. That way, he won’t have to compete with touches with the team’s top guns.
Felton knew this would happen
Felton, a savvy point guard who played 14 seasons in the big league, said on “To The Baha” podcast that he absolutely foresaw this happening. The first-overall pick of the 2018 draft (ahead of Luka even), the 7-footer from the Bahamas is used to having possessions run through him.
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In fact, Ayton has averaged 12.4 attempts per game in his first seven seasons. However, this season, he’s only shooting the rock 8.7 times a game, his touches severely limited by the presence of ball-dominant players like Luka, LeBron and Austin.
“I said this months ago. Now we’re two months into it, and he’s crashing out, saying he needs touches. I told y’all this was going to happen,” Felton uttered.
However, Felton recommended a drastic course of action that might help get the best out of Ayton: yank him from the starting lineup.
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“Put that man on the bench. Let him come off the bench and get all the touches he wants. He’ll get more touches. Not all the touches, but more touches,” Felton remarked. “Play him with Reaves in that second unit. Because as long as he’s on the court with those three guys, he’s never going to see the basketball.”
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The Lakers’ offense hasn’t looked right
Despite the presence of some of the league’s elite playmakers, the Lakers’ offense hasn’t looked right when Luka, LeBron and Austin play together. Ayton’s demands for the ball certainly won’t help matters.
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“All I’m saying is this comes down to what we’ve been saying about the Lakers the whole damn season: They have too many guys who need the ball,” Theo Pinson, another former NBA guard, noted.
“Deandre Ayton needs the ball to look successful. When Ayton has looked his best, it’s been when only two of those guys are on the floor. Either LeBron and Luka — no AR. Or Luka and AR — no LeBron. That’s when he’s been successful,” he added.
The first month of the season saw Ayton do his best work. With LeBron sidelined due to sciatica, the big man averaged 16.5 points on an impressive 69.6 percent shooting from the field. Add to that 8.8 rebounds and 0.9 blocks per game, and Ayton looked like the center the Lakers had been searching for.
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However, with the Lakers’ main playmakers all in uniform, Ayton has struggled to find his form, averaging 8.9 points and 7.8 rebounds in February. With the postseason looming and the West stacked with lethal big men, the Lakers are counting on Ayton to regain his form and confidence if they are to make some noise when the games matter most.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Mar 4, 2026, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
