JJ Redick on Deandre Ayton not being on the court to close out Game 2

It's no secret that this has been a frustrating and, many would say, disappointing season for Deandre Ayton. He was supposed to give the Los Angeles Lakers a legitimate scoring threat, but he instead posted career lows in field-goal attempts per game (8.3) and scoring (12.5 points a game) during the regular season.

He did well in Game 1 of the Lakers' first-round playoff series against the Houston Rockets with 19 points and 11 rebounds. But in Game 2, he posted only six points and five rebounds in 27 minutes, and he exited the game for good with 5:05 left in the fourth quarter, as Jaxson Hayes took his place from that point on.

Coach JJ Redick made it clear on Thursday that his decision to go with Hayes instead of Ayton down the stretch of his team's 101-94 win in Game 2 wasn't a reflection on how Ayton played.

“I think overall with him, he's had a great season. He’s been a big key in both these games. Defensively he, I thought, was really good in the second half of Game 2… DA and I had a conversation today, it was, ‘You didn’t do anything wrong, that’s not the reason you didn’t finish the game. It’s just the group out there was winning and Jaxson was doing a great job.’”

Ayton's defense on Rockets All-Star center Alperen Sengun has been one reason the Lakers now hold a 2-0 series lead. He has been physical with Sengun and hasn't allowed Sengun to routinely hit easy chippies over him in the paint. He has also helped out on the perimeter defensively and contested outside shots.

Los Angeles will likely need to get the former No. 1 overall pick more involved offensively as the series shifts to Houston if it is to maintain control in this series, whether he's on the court in crunch time or not.

This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: JJ Redick on Deandre Ayton not being on the court to close out Game 2