\n<\/p>\n
Deandre Ayton has been a major factor in the Los Angeles Lakers taking a 3-1 series lead over the Houston Rockets.<\/p>\n
Ayton has been engaged on both ends of the floor for the Lakers, able to defend and score when the needs him to. He had his best outing in the Game 4 loss to the Houston Rockets where he recorded a double-double of 19 points and 10 rebounds, but he was questionably ejected from the game<\/a> after elbowing Alperen Sengun in the head.<\/p>\n Ayton had every right to be upset in the moment, but Marcus Smart praised him for remaining composed as he left the floor.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s been tough with DA. We\u2019ve been hard on him, he\u2019s been hard on himself, you guys have been hard on him,\u201d Smart said. \u201cIt\u2019s all good though. He\u2019s been taking it an embracing it and trying to get better and better. Today, he showed that. We came out and relied on him a little bit more, he made plays for us and then obviously the ejection. We all understood it was some BS. That\u2019s what we felt. He was just trying to brace himself, it\u2019s two guys who are sweating their butts off playing the game and his arm slips up. <\/p>\n \u201cBut we\u2019re proud of the way he handled it. That speaks volumes about who he is and his progression. He\u2019s learning. He could\u2019ve easily, and it probably would\u2019ve been justifiable if he went off, right? But to keep his composure and stay positive, I think that\u2019s only gonna help him and this team.\u201d<\/p>\n Ayton is not one to pick fights or talk trash on the court, and there didn\u2019t seem to be any previous issues with Sengun despite all the physicality in the series. Sengun even acknowledged publicly that he didn\u2019t think Ayton deserved<\/a> to be ejected, which goes to show that it was unwarranted. <\/p>\n In order for Los Angeles to close out Houston in Game 5, Ayton will need to remain aggressive offensively while protecting the rim on the other end. Ayton sounds motivated to earn a win and it\u2019ll be worth monitoring how he responds once Game 5 tips off.<\/p>\n The Lakers are in prime position to advance being up 3-1, but they still can\u2019t afford to relax given what\u2019s at stake. Head coach JJ Redick and LeBron James understand what it takes to go deep into the postseason and Ayton said the two aren\u2019t letting him or the rest of the team get comfortable against the Rockets<\/a>.<\/p>\nDeandre Ayton: JJ Redick and LeBron James aren\u2019t letting the Lakers get comfortable<\/h2>\n