In a team that has LeBron James, Luka Doncic, and Austin Reaves, there’s a lot of discourse on who hogs the ball more. It appears that the three stars do a better job at sharing the offense amongst themselves. Maybe at the cost of their role-players. With some very drastic changes in the rotation, it appears one of their teammates was upset about it.

Deandre Ayton’s seen himself get benched a lot more lately. He’s gone from acknowledging it as a necessity to mourning his lack of minutes. JJ Redick admitted that Ayton was frustrated with the lack of touches after he benched Ayton in the last stretch of Friday’s game against the Grizzlies.

On Sunday, the Lakers and Grizzlies had a rematch. The Lakers won again, 120-114. Ayton had 15 points on a 6-for-8 shooting and 8 rebounds across 34 minutes on this one. Right after that game, he took a jab at the playmakers and facilitators.

“Bigs can’t feed themselves,” Ayton said after the game. “I just try my best to do what I can to bring effort, and I trust my playmakers out there to find me.”

The Los Angeles Lakers are trying to find consistency by changing up their rotation. Luka Doncic doesn’t play the full first quarter anymore as Redick prioritizes having him start and close the games now. LeBron James fills in for the rest of the minutes while also getting rested mid-game.

Another prominent change that was noticed was Deandre Ayton’s minutes distribution. It appears JJ Redick finally noticed his energy tends to decline the longer he’s on the floor. At the start of the season, fans pointed out that every time Ayton left the floor, the Lakers ended up closing a deficit to win. Even with changes in rotation, Redick admitted his fault, saying it’s his and the team’s job to ensure Ayton feels part of the game.

“He’s a highly skilled big. I mean, there’s not many like those left in today’s NBA… It’s on us as coaches, and it’s on players to make sure that he feels involved,” Redick said in the post-game press conference. While he decided to bench DA in the fourth quarter in the last game, it was a decision that had a cascading effect.

Deandre Ayton’s vocal approach changed the Lakers

During his preseason debut for the Lakers, Ayton said, “I’m not here for numbers. I’m just here for whatever the Lakers really want me to do.” But every time he’s faced the Grizzlies this season, something happens. Like a dramatic exit during the NBA Cup group stage game.

When he came back from another injury, Redick subbed out Ayton after his minutes restriction was up. It was planned in advance and Ayton didn’t mind.

But that declining role, when the team is severely shorthanded, got to Ayton. During the January 2 game against the Grizzlies, Redick had him sit out the fourth quarter. Ayton finished that game with just four points and six rebounds in 25 minutes.

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Observers attributed it to frustrations over the Lakers’ situation. Redick felt that the offense led by Doncic and James needed to facilitate Ayton on the offense. Fans mostly disagreed. But voicing it aloud made a difference.

In the second game against the Grizzlies on January 4, Luka and Bron controlled the offense through scoring and assisting. But James said he was looking for Ayton for contact for most of the game. “I’m always looking for DA,” the 41-year-old said. “And we’re always trying to figure out a way how we can get him the ball. It’s unfortunate what happened last game, and we weren’t able to find him as much as we want to, but we were able to make the adjustments.”

Ayton is impactful in rebounding when he’s involved early. It’s been a statistical constant in his 12 double-doubles this season. The Lakers have finally unlocked the answer to Deandre Ayton’s effective big man energy.