The 119–109 loss to division rivals, the Golden State Warriors, was a bitter pill for the Los Angeles Lakers to swallow- and as expected, the finger-pointing began immediately. Luka Doncic’s 43-point explosion wasn’t enough, LeBron James looked visibly off on the sidelines, Marcus Smart failed to redeem himself, and Austin Reaves… well, he was just there. But the loudest criticism was directed at Deandre Ayton.

In his much-anticipated Lakers debut, Ayton’s performance fell flat, raising questions about how JJ Redick used his new big man. Lakers legend James Worthy even suggested that Redick’s system didn’t put Ayton in positions to succeed. But one former Lakers great who knows the pressure of playing that role better than anyone else stepped in with some advice- Shaquille O’Neal. Making his Inside the NBA on ESPN debut during opening week, Shaq watched the Lakers’ struggles and spoke directly to Ayton, reminding him what it means to carry the weight of the purple and gold as a big man.

“Listen Deandre, ‘Domin-Ayton,’ that performance yesterday, I need you to step it up my boy. You got to do three things. You got to rebound and you got to block shots and you got to dominate,” O’Neal said, surprisingly not as harshly as he’d be on Dwight Howard, Joel Embiid or Rudy Gobert. But he does remind Ayton that he’s not the team’s star.

“The pressure’s not on you, you got two great players that get double a lot. When they make that little bounce pass, catch it and throw it down. You had a small guy guarding you in the post, you turn around and shoot a fadeaway. That’s not going to get it done. We need you, brother, we need you to step it up.”

Ayton made 10 points in all of the 30+ minutes he played. Those aren’t even close to pre-championship Shaq numbers. With Kobe sidelined by a broken wrist, O’Neal had 23 points, 14 rebounds, and 2 blocks in the same time on his Lakers debut in 1996.

Ayton had more turnovers than chemistry. He was lost on the court, like the Los Angeles lights were more overwhelming outside Portland.

Of course, there’s much to be desired when he’s got Anthony Davis’ void to be filled. But the Lakers seem more focused on figuring out what’s wrong with Ayton than listen to Shaq.

Who’s responsible for Deandre Ayton’s problems?

Despite his career highs as a Laker on opening night, Luka Doncic pointed a finger at himself for Ayton’s stuttering. “I think he prefers that pocket pass, I haven’t played it, I don’t think, with a center like that,” Doncic said. “I have to do a better job just talking to him like what I want, what he wants, and today it was on me, and I didn’t give him enough touches.”

This didn’t help the 27-year-old’s case. It became more glaring that he’s not a good fit in a Luka-centric team. Almost immediately after that game, Deandre Ayton quickly admitted fault in similar words.

“Today I realized I’m probably a confusing big, when I can roll and stand just in the pocket. It’s probably a little difficult for them sometimes.” He also implied that Curry & Co. were too ‘great’ a team for him.

‘Confusing’ is the operating term here. Not all blame is going to Ayton and his teammates for that. JJ Redick touted him as the new anchor for the defense after trading Anthony Davis decimated it.

Another big man, specifically Big Game James Worthy, criticized Redick for depending on LeBron James, focusing too much on Luka and Austin, and neglecting how to utilize Ayton. “I think Ayton had seven attempts. If you are going to use a big man, you’ve got to get him involved a little bit more,” he said on Spectrum.

Before Shaq’s pep talk, though, he had already recalibrated. He’s shown confidence to improve and is finding his footing as the season progresses. Sure, he didn’t have the Big Aristotle dominant start from day 1, but he could get there with the big guy’s backing.