Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers - The Lakers are Emphasizing Rebounding... and the Need for Ayton to Dominate

Starting point is 00:00:00 Rebounding. Rebounding, rebounding, rebounding, and more rebounding. What does JJ Reddick want to see, Andy? Rebounding. That's right. Next. You are Locked on Lakers. Your daily Los Angeles Lakers podcast, part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Thanks to everybody for joining Locked on Lakers. Brian Kemenisky, Andy Kemeniske, Lakers getting ready for Thursday.

Starting point is 00:00:34 I'm sorry, for Saturday's playoff opener against the Houston Rockets, game won 530 local start at Crypto.com Arena and Andy as preparations begin for the Lakers as they get into practice. It was a theme on Monday. It was a theme on Tuesday.

Starting point is 00:00:57 Tuesday and Wednesday. Tuesday and Wednesday. I'm sure they talked about it on Monday, but it was a theme on Tuesday and Wednesday when they practiced. And again, rebounding. J.J. Reddick wants to see rebounding. He wants to see lots and lots of rebounding.

Starting point is 00:01:11 Rebounding is going to be a massive storyline in this series. Yeah, JJ, in laying out the keys Tuesday during practice, I was in attendance both Tuesday and Wednesday and El Segundo, but multiple times he said boxing out and ball security, like box out ball security, box out ball security. If we don't do those two things, we are not going to win this series. He didn't even try to make it sound like it would be difficult.

Starting point is 00:01:37 He said it will be insurmountable. We have to do those two things. The ball security piece of this obviously matters just because the Lakers cannot afford to give away possessions. But I will say Houston, as a defense as good as they are, they're not necessarily the most disruptive defense in the league. Like they're pretty middle of the pack for both steals, deflections, things like that.

Starting point is 00:02:01 That's not where the strength of their defense lies. So a lot of this, while there's a big onus on the Lakers to take care of the ball, to move the ball with purpose and with precision, and that becomes more difficult when you're missing two of your best facilitators, ball handlers and passers in Luca and Austin, at least there is some degree of this where the Lakers, if they don't have an advantage necessarily, they're not necessarily at a disadvantage either.

Starting point is 00:02:33 The rebounding is a real thing, man. In the three games that the Lakers played this season against the Rockets, they may have won two to one in the series. They were out rebounded 130 to 91. That is a staggering figure. The Lakers managed to survive despite that. But that was also with Luca and Austin. They're not going to be able to handle that type of

Starting point is 00:02:59 discrepancy in this series. JJ talked about going through the film and particularly Houston on the offensive glass said it's like astonishing watching how many guys they have who crash on a regular basis, whether from the corners, dunker spot, wherever. It's like a team mindset. They're really good at it. And the Lakers have to find a way to slow that down. Yeah.

Starting point is 00:03:22 And it's, you know, like from a raw rebounding numbers standpoint, obviously this is a colossal mismatch. The Rockets are the number one total rebounding team in the league, 48 rebounds in game. The Lakers are 27th, which is significantly worse. If you start getting into

Starting point is 00:03:42 the sort of advanced data on, you know, rebounding percentage and things like that. Oh, it gets even more daunting. Well, no, it gets better. It does get better. The Lakers, if only because the Lakers, for example... Oh, I meant for the Rockets. Sorry, not for the Lakers.

Starting point is 00:03:58 Yeah, and the Lakers, their defensive rebounding percentage is 12th in the league. I'm sorry, 13th. Their offensive rebounding percentage is not, you know, it's not their strength. But like in terms of protecting the defensive glass, it's not quite as much of an obvious mismatch. For example, if they were 27th in total rebounding altogether and 27th in defensive rebounding, percentage as well, you look at it and be like, oh, this is a major problem. It's a problem either way. And it's a problem on two levels.

Starting point is 00:04:40 One of the, obviously there is just the raw issue of the Lakers are going to have to secure the defensive glass, which despite the number I just read you about where they finish defensive rebounding percentage. It's been an issue at different times during the season. Like there's no question. The, the advanced data, to be honest, because I looked this up as well, I was surprised that the Lakers defensive rebounding numbers, the advanced data, was as good as it is.

Starting point is 00:05:05 So was I kept double and triple check. I'm like, that can't be right. The Los Angeles Lakers, we're talking about here, right? Like, there's not a different one. No, but I was surprised, too, if only because there have been so many games where it's been like, guys, you got to get on the glass. But it's a challenge.

Starting point is 00:05:25 There are certain ways of this series calibrates that I think are problem. beyond just you know Luca and Austin aren't playing and this is one of them and it's because where I think I think we sort of touched on this a little bit in the preview episodes with Jackson Gatlin locked on rockets one of the things that I think is a challenge for the lakers in this series is where do you find easy points and one of the ways that you do that is in transition. One of the ways you get out in transition, you get the rebound, and you go. Part of what makes Houston so effective and what helps them as a defensive team, the team like the Lakers is going to really struggle with the get the rebound and go part for two reasons.

Starting point is 00:06:17 One, you just mentioned it. The defensive rebounding is going to have to be a major focus. All hands are going to be needed with this all-hand. hands on deck theme is going to be something we talk about throughout this episode. Everybody's going to have to be back there to make sure you're boxing out, putting your body on everyone. Like you said, everyone crashes. So that limits your running opportunities. And then now you get into the Luke Adichich hit a head pass isn't available because Luke is not all that stuff. It's going to cut into one of the ways that they can generate fast break points. But you're right, Andy. Like you can't worry about that.

Starting point is 00:06:58 go score in the half court. If you let Houston dominate you on their offensive glass, you have no chance in this series. Yeah, this is an area where the Lakers, it's going to require everybody really putting in, pitching in, and doing their part. Like this is going to be a, like obviously, guys like DeAndre Aiton, Jackson Hayes, LeBron, La Ravia,

Starting point is 00:07:27 Rui, Vando, the bigger guys on the team, they're going to be counted on more to either grab rebounds, box out, use general physicality, like DeAndre Aiton, who we're going to talk about as well. Like, he's the best pure re... Let me rephrase. LeBron maybe is still the best pound for pound inch for inch rebounder on this team.

Starting point is 00:07:48 Luke Kinard. The guy had a 16 rebound game. LeBron is still pound for bound, inch for inch, the best rebounder on this team. team. But Aiton is, if not LeBron, the best rebounder on the team or the guy that, if nothing else, his job description involves rebounding the way it does. Like, he, he's going to be a key figure in this, but it's going to require guys like Luke Conard sneaking into the cracks and getting the loose ball if somebody is boxing out or brawny when he plays. Nick Smith, if, you know,

Starting point is 00:08:21 when he plays. Marcus Smart. Like, everybody's going to have to play a role in this. you know, if you're small in there, you're going to have to, you're going to have to put a body on somebody and do your best with this. There is no, all hands on deck that JJ repeated that mantra many times. He is talking, I think, during this practice, if nothing else, very specifically about how everybody is going to, in all likelihood, have their number called at some point. during the season between the options that are lacking, the different things they're going to have to try, and just to prevent guys from getting too fatigued with the style that they're going to have to play. But it's also all hands on deck in the sense that there is nothing you will not be responsible for on some level in this series because making up for

Starting point is 00:09:20 what you don't have in Austin and especially Luca, that is going to be a group effort in all facets. Well, it's it, but I'm glad to you, and this is why they've, they spent Tuesday doing nothing but boxout drills. It's because, like, rebounding isn't just go up and physically get the ball. Like, Rui is a bad rebounder for his size. He's a bad rebounder. I'm not trying to sugarcoat this.

Starting point is 00:09:46 But when you start to, like, look at boxout data and stuff like that, he's actually not, he does better with that than he does go get the ball. but against a team where everyone goes and crashes the glass, everyone needs to be attentive about boxing out. Part of the problem the Lakers have had this year, it's not just that, oh, they don't have good rebounders, so they're not athletic enough. It's like they don't, too often they get caught not finding their man

Starting point is 00:10:16 and putting a body on them. Like do the fundamental work of finding a body and boxing out. And if, you know, sometimes the rebound is going to be long. He's been okay. But at the very least, step A, put a body on someone. And so we'll see that level of attention to detail is going to be critical throughout the series. You mentioned Andy DeAndre Aiton. He spoke at practice, he spoke in practice at times throughout the week, talking about his eagerness to take part in this,

Starting point is 00:10:49 an understanding of what he's going to need to do. and let's talk about DeAndre 8 next. Locked on Lakers is brought to you by Rocket Money. Do you ever open up your bank account and thought, where'd my money go? Like, you're not alone, keeping track of subscriptions, spending bills. It can get overwhelming fast.

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Starting point is 00:13:00 for first purchase. That's code L-O-C-K-E-D-O-N for $20 off. Download the GameTime app, and remember, it's GameTime.com. So this is not a surprise. I think this, you know, you and I, Andy, have talked about this in different forms throughout the year. There isn't a guy who is a bigger ceiling razor where the, we're sort of, especially like when you consider the distance between floor and ceiling and the impact that he has, then DeAndre on this team. You know, JJ has said, you know, when DeAndre is at his best, we are an elite team. Now, that probably includes Luca and AR. But the premise holds true here as well for the Lakers to be as elite as they are capable of being. in this series.

Starting point is 00:13:59 They need, you know, however many games of excellent play from DeAndre Ate. There is no question that the Lakers are not going to be capable of, at best, pulling off an upset, at worst, just stretching out this series to six or seven games if DeAndre Aiton does not play well. Like if he does not play very well. They need him to play at the closest thing to the top. of his game at damn near 48 minutes a night as far as the course of entire games. Like they, we have talked with, you know, Jackson Gatlin on my weekly Lakers talk show for ESPN, L.A. 710. I talked with Kobe Price, who covers the team for the California Post.

Starting point is 00:14:47 We asked them, like, who do you picture on the Lakers as the X factor for this team? It all keeps going back to Dianneur Aiton, because everybody just recognizes. A, there's nobody else on the team who really does what he does from the big man position, like the ability to score in a wider variety of ways. He's got that mid-range jumper or the little hook or the floater. He can be a role man. He sets really good screens like when he's fully engaged, his work on the offensive glass putbacks. You know, he's a really big imposing presence.

Starting point is 00:15:27 when he feels like using that physicality. When engaged, I think he actually can be a more effective defender than his reputation. I agree. Whether out in space, I think moving his feet reasonably well for his size or being a lane deterrent. Like, he can raise the ceiling of this team by virtue of being able to do so many different things that a lot of guys on this team just can't offer. But also, too, it's not even just the, idea of raising the floor, I feel like he can lower the floor for the inverse of the exact same

Starting point is 00:16:02 reasons. Like when he does not do those things, it feels incredibly absent and it can often feel like, and Aiton has said as much, the energy, he can be a barometer and a bellwether for the energy of this team. And he's recognized the damage that comes when he is not, forget maintaining his energy, matching it with everybody else, actually exceeding it. It's extremely important for him to say nothing of just the scrutiny he's going to be under because he's been such a polarizing figure basically since he entered the league. And to some degree, some of this is just a matter of like who on your team is it like reasonable to ask to do certain things? If the Lakers need to find what is it? You know, the 30 a nine.

Starting point is 00:16:55 at least that Luca was going to give them. And hopefully the 20 to 25 a night that also says, you know, there's between 50 and 60 points that need to be reclaimed somewhere around this roster. And, you know, you expect LeBron to bump up from, you know, 18 to 22, which is kind of where he's settled into on most nights once this kind of realignment happened. you expect that to go up to 25 to 30 because they're going to need it. Rui is going to get more shots and take more, you know,

Starting point is 00:17:32 there's going to be a few more shots. But if you're looking around the roster for somebody who's like been, you know, when featured, relatively close to a 20 point a night guy, DeAndre Aitin's sort of the next one. Marcus Smart's going to need to score a little bit. But like Aiton has been a 20 point a night guy. 18, I think is his career high.

Starting point is 00:17:51 and that's going to be like they can't get by with just you know working hard doing the dirty work or whatever which we'd love to see from Aden there's no question he's at their best he has embraced that kind of stuff it's he's also going to need to put up 20 points tonight which by the way I think will make it easier for him to do the dirty work too if he knows I am the scoring part of this the the rebounding part of this, you know, like you kind of, you know, the tangibles, the counting stats. Sometimes being involved in that makes it easier to do the great screen and the boxouts and the dive on the floor and all. So, I mean, the stage is set for, at the very least, a very big opportunity. And, you know, you've been at practice. It seems like he gets it and is excited by it. Well, I mean, he said his words, he's doing backflips being back in the playoffs again. it's been a few years he talked about in his introductory press conference that he misses playing

Starting point is 00:18:56 meaningful basketball he had missed it with with the blazers and just the weirdness going on there and i want to say the last year is with the sons they didn't make it they certainly didn't go far if they did i don't remember off the top of my head so he said he was chomping at the bit to be back in this situation again he mentioned how in the 2021 playoffs which was that was a season where he and the Sons went to the finals, they played the Lakers in the first round and that the building was loud as hell. And like he knows how hyped Laker fans get

Starting point is 00:19:30 and he's looking forward to feeding off that. And it's funny too, like that him mentioning the idea of I need to accept my role. And, you know, like, I need to be playing as hard as hell at all times. Like things that Aiton has said over, you know, he said entering this season, he has said at times throughout the season, often in the context of admitting that he's not doing that and that he needs to raise that level back up again.

Starting point is 00:20:00 This has been a recurrent theme with Aiton in part because it hasn't been consistent. But what I do think is interesting about this with Aiton, beyond the fact that he is saying the right things, and at times he has acted on his words, at times he hasn't. They actually need him to be both the star and the Clint Capella. You know, ironically, he will often be matched against Clint Capella in this game. But, you know, he famously said, infamously, I ain't no Clint Capella. They actually need him to be both. Like, they need him to be the consummate role player and they need him to be the guy with the counting stats.

Starting point is 00:20:44 So there is an opportunity for D'Andre Aiton to, do the things that are team-centric first and do the things that, fairly or not, DeAndre's reputation is that's what excites him most. They need all of it. They need every single bit of it. And it's going to be hard not just because it's the playoffs. And like, I think DA, you know, we talked about this early in the week. You know, it's easy to see at different times why he's sort of considered very much on a personal level, like a likable guy.

Starting point is 00:21:18 I think people like the human and recognize a good person in there and frustrating professionally. I think when he keeps talking about it's motor is a skill and he has to remind himself to kind of like he's, it's not just telling us. Like he's talking to himself too. And you say that, Brian. Like I asked him during practice on Wednesday, is it ever hard for you to recognize in real time that you're not putting out the level of effort and engagement? energy that is required from you. Like, because there may, there may be a possibility that just it feels like he's playing hard in his mind in real time.

Starting point is 00:21:59 But then you, you watch the film and you realize you're not. And he, I couldn't tell, to be honest, if he just didn't like the question or if he was kind of feigning confusion about the question to which I rephrased it. You know, he asked like, are you asking me if I'm recognizing this right now? I said, no, in games. And then he just repeated the mantra, I got to play hard as hell, which, whatever. He doesn't owe me an answer.

Starting point is 00:22:25 Like, what he owes the team is to do this stuff. But it's, I am curious to, I would love to be inside his head just to see during a game what he recognizes or the measurements that he has for effort. I think he judges in real time. I think all athletes, you know, there are a lot of times with athletes where you think you're going hard and you think you're playing hard and like you know i never reached this level of uh of professional

Starting point is 00:22:55 success andy obviously but i just remember you know from you know my own experiences like there you just it is a natural thing sometimes to think you're playing and you sometimes you just have to find another gear and you know but the challenge for d a is going to be significant uh i'll explain Why next? Lock on Lakers is brought to you by Indeed. You got workplace chaos, deadline stacking up. The inbox is overflowing. And there's still a position that's sitting open.

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Starting point is 00:25:39 And he has, I think, overall been a success this year for the Lakers, been inconsistent. It's been a little up and down. There have been time. there was a six to eight week, nine weeks, it really wasn't very good at all, but it started well and ended well, at the very least. And as the Lakers found a kind of a way to play as a team,

Starting point is 00:26:02 it benefited A. Well, but that had Luca and Austin there. It had guard play, which has been typically over the course of his career, the kind of thing that helps unlock Aiton at his most successful. And so you lose that, which means the quality of entry paths isn't going to be as good. The amount of super easy buckets you get because three people are guarding Luca at once and you can still throw the ball up top and you have that easy. All of that's going to get harder.

Starting point is 00:26:38 Now you factor in the fact that the rockets are aware of this too. When they look down the scouting report and they see who's there and whatever, like obviously it's LeBron. They know DeAndre Aidan. is the guy who can elevate the Lakers ceiling as much like, and they can game plan against this and they can scheme. So not only is he missing some of the things that help him be most successful, he's going to be facing a defense that for the first time this year is going to be focused on him as a primary player.

Starting point is 00:27:13 Defenses have not had that luxury with the Lakers at all this year. now they do, and the Rockets have a particularly good one. Shengoon isn't a great defender, but the team is a very good defensive team. And so that's going to make Aiton's challenge significantly harder. I mean, I hope Lakers fans are kind of aware of that as they grade DA over the course of this series. If he goes out and plays as hard as he can, we'll see what the results are, but the Rockets are tuned into this too. They're tuned into this too, but I mean, they watch this podcast, Andy.

Starting point is 00:27:54 I mean, you want to see the effort from A, but at the same time, in all honesty, the effort is considered mandatory and while playing hard is something fans appreciate, they also don't want to necessarily give you a standing O for it either. No, but that's not what I mean. I just mean like the expectation is going to be able to go out and put up. you know, 28 and 14 because he's featured. You know, it is, this is a very, very tall task for him. The asks are the asks.

Starting point is 00:28:29 I know, but I'm just, you know, but this, you know, it gets to why this is, you know, a tough ask for the team as a whole. You know, it's not a matter of, my point is it's not going to be a matter of Aiton playing as well as he has at times over the course. this season, it's actually going to have to be better because the obstacles are significantly higher on, you know, starting on Saturday than they have been throughout the year. Yes. I mean, but that's, I understand what I guess I understand what you mean.

Starting point is 00:29:03 I don't necessarily understand why you're emphasizing it. This is for everybody. Like, if you're asking people to have a fair perspective on what you can get from Aiton or what is reasonable, like, you're asking people. Like, you know, if people are demanding 35 and 20 and they don't get it and they're going to be pissed off about it, so be it. But everybody's asks are going to be higher. And this is the deal. This is why you get a paycheck.

Starting point is 00:29:30 This is also clearly DeAndre has, I think, presented himself as somebody that if nothing else feels like he's capable of that stuff. I mean, there's only so many times you can say, I have to accept my role. without there being some type of undertone of, but I could do more, I could be more, I could have more points, I could have more counting stats. Okay, I mean, this is right, go out and do it. I mean, everybody's asks are going to be higher,

Starting point is 00:30:04 and everybody's asks are going to be bordering on what might be beyond their grasp, but they got to get as close to it as they can. And like, again, you want to see DeAndre playing as, you know, as he says, hard as hell for every second he's on the floor. And great. And it should be recognized if he does it. But I'm just saying it's going to be more than just the idea of, well, you gave it your best shot. Like, they need him to elevate in the same way they need everybody.

Starting point is 00:30:36 Sure. And my point is what you mentioned. Like people, you know, to have a fair perspective of what constitutes good performance here versus. is not. But the, you know, and the other half of this is, you know, JJ is going to need to figure out very much like, you know, the center position, including Jackson Hayes, is one of the, you know, it's really one of the only places on this roster

Starting point is 00:31:02 where you can say, okay, the mechanisms to help these guys succeed aren't exactly intact. But at least the players are there. And, you know, the center position when the lake have been successful. It's been something JJ's been able to kind of mix and match. I'm sure we'll talk about it again before Saturday, but the fact that Jackson is a better player

Starting point is 00:31:26 with a starting center now in front of him and the opportunity to play against backups, or if the matchup dictates, JJ can put them out there with starters. He's done that over the course of the season. But this is a position. It's one of the only ones on the roster where you can look at it and say,

Starting point is 00:31:45 actually the Lakers have what they're supposed to have and how they can leverage this relative strength internally, at least. I'm not comparing him to Houston. It's going to be really important. They've got to figure out how to get a lot out of eight, and they're going to figure out how to get a lot out of Jackson. Both of these guys are going to be tremendously important. Well, the good news is I asked Jackson during Tuesday's practice.

Starting point is 00:32:10 he had said that his foot feels great now. You know, the several days off really helped. He said it was really just attrition from the way he plays. You know, there's a lot of running. There's a lot of jumping the way he specifically operates. And it was likely just putting stress on that foot in particular. I did ask him if he had any doubts leading up to this week in practice if he would have been unable to play during the playoffs.

Starting point is 00:32:39 And he said, absolutely not. is like he was going to suit up one way or another and if he had to deal with a tremendous amount of pain so be it thankfully it doesn't seem like he's going to be dealing with a tremendous amount of pain and there again he's going to have to elevate in the same way everybody's going to have to elevate but you know i think if nothing else if there are minutes where he's matched up against clint capella that is at minimum a matchup that jackson can hold serve if not actually about and i want to see you know can that's you know where they use it's a lot of things he's not a leap off the page athlete jackson is you know can they figure out ways to to make that come through

Starting point is 00:33:22 there's just there's a lot maybe for you know for the uh for the short show on thursday we'll get into this sort of all hands on deck like what that exactly means um for the lakers in this series because i think it can be interpreted in a lot of ways all of which are probably correct um but you know, it's even hard, and we were talking about this earlier in the day, it's even hard to come up with these, like normally in a normal playoff, it's like this guy versus that guy, this matchup versus this matchup.

Starting point is 00:33:54 Like, everything is so scrambled for the Lakers. And it's very difficult to kind of understand, like, what are these matchups we're looking for? How the first game or two plays, that's rare that you have a series where you're not totally sure, kind of what it's going to look like,

Starting point is 00:34:11 even when you get into game one. But the one, you know, that's why I think there is, part of the reason there is so much focus on the centers. It kind of is the one thing you know what it's going to be. Plenty more to get into before Saturday rolls around. Locked on Lakers, of course, is on YouTube, is where you can go hang out with over 38,000 subscribers. Do encourage everybody to check out the Everydayer Club.

Starting point is 00:34:33 Go to Lockdownlakers. com. Check it out in the show notes as well. five bucks a month, 50 bucks a year to access to the Discord servers with not just Lockdown Lakers, but also all the other shows across the NBA channel,

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Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers - The Lakers are Emphasizing Rebounding... and the Need for Ayton to Dominate

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