Richard Jefferson on why he’s refusing to overreact to DeAndre Ayton’s LA Lakers debut

Richard Jefferson explains why it’s too early to judge DeAndre Ayton 

Shaquille O’Neal slammed Ayton’s performance after opening night, as the Laker legend demanded that he “step it up”. But Jefferson, responding to those comments on the Road Trippin’ Show, said there’s plenty of games to go before we can start judging his play. 

He explained: “Ayton’s got to be the best version of himself. I don’t put too much stock in one game. He is one of the most talented, skilled overall bigs. Are we going to see a new version of him? None of us truly know.

“That performance wasn’t great. I’ve been thrown out of opening night. I got two technicals because I got into it with TJ Ford, who was pulling my jersey. That’s not an indicator of my season. That’s not an indicator of how my season is going to go.

“I always say this: After 10 games, we can assess how you’re playing and how your team looks. A real sample size is about 20 to 25 games. It should take you about 10 to 20 games to know the play calls, to know what the coach expects. That’s all I’m saying. 

“We can break down each and every game and say, ‘If they wanna win a championship’, and it’s like game four.” 

Unfortunately, he now has a long history of poor performances, which is why the Portland Trail Blazers allowed Ayton to walk free this summer. Kendrick Perkins was among those who aren’t being so forgiving to the 2018 number one pick. 

Kendrick Perkins wants DeAndre Ayton to play like his former teammate 

Perkins, like O’Neal, was critical of Ayton. He saw a lack of intensity from the Lakers’ big man and wanted to see him put in the same level of effort as Houston Rockets center Steven Adams, who Perkins played with on the Oklahoma City Thunder. 

Perkins said, “Shaq wasn’t saying go out there and score a bucket. Shaq was saying go out there and be a f——g force dog. Can you be Steven Adams? Steven Adams made his presence felt. The hard screens, 12-13 rebounds.

“When Steven Adams ran the f——g floor, it wasn’t f——g ballet dancing up the floor. It wasn’t tiptoeing. He was stomping. 

“Shaq is saying, ‘Bro, show the energy. Show tenacity as a big man.’ That’s the same thing we’re talking about with Jarrett Allen. We want to see the force. 

“And as a big man, you know somebody’s mindset. That wasn’t a criticism, saying ‘Can you go out there and score 20-25 points’. That was a criticism saying, ‘Go be a man,’ and he wasn’t that. He was too timid for me.”

In his season opener against the Thunder, Adams had 4 points and 13 rebounds. He’s been one of the most physical forces in the NBA for over a decade, and that’s allowed the New Zealander to have a long and successful career as one of the league’s most respected players.

If someone with the talent of Ayton can apply himself to games like Adams, he’d be an unstoppable force in the league.