JJ Redick's Challenge to Deandre Ayton Becomes Public After Lakers Win
The Lakers finally overcame the Rockets and claimed the series on Friday. But the win wasn't easy, as players faced several obstacles. However, to overcome one such challenge, JJ Redick issued a task to his player, Deandre Ayton.
Ayton, who had struggled earlier in the season, played a key role in the first round. He recorded the most total rebounds in the entire series. While LeBron James scored the most points overall, Alperen Sengun's 122 points led the Rockets' leaderboard.
In order to win Game 6, Redick had an interesting plan to stop Sengun. The coach challenged his center to defend the Rockets' star one-on-one. "JJ really challenged me about guarding Sengun one-on-one", said Ayton. "We just wanted to go back on how we guarded them if KD were out there".
"JJ really challenged me about guarding Sengun one-on-one … We just wanted to go back on how we guarded them if KD were out there. Guard them straight up and I took the challenge to my chin. Just putting the team on my back and them trusting me" - Ayton on his defense pic.twitter.com/rlsGUhnl8W
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) May 2, 2026
However, Kevin Durant only played Game 2, missing the rest due to injury. The Lakers player then addressed how he openly welcomed Redick's request. Ayton said, "Guard them straight up and I took the challenge to my chin. Just putting the team on my back and them trusting me".
Sengun was restricted to 17 points by Ayton, his second-lowest scoring game in the entire series. Meanwhile, the Lakers now head to the second round, where they will face the defending champions, the Thunder. Perhaps more challenges from Redick could be a recipe for success.
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This story was originally published May 2, 2026 at 6:03 AM.