LOS ANGELES – Jeff Ayres hadn’t heard the good news when he arrived Sunday morning to STAPLES Center.
Head coach Doc Rivers said before the Clippers’ afternoon game against the Bulls that Ayres, who had been playing on a 10-day contract since getting signed from the D-League, earned a second 10-day contract.
“I do like the fact he’s a high IQ player,” Rivers said. “Even if in his short minutes, you could hear his talk already on the floor defensively. I like his energy, I like where he came from playing in the San Antonio system. I do like a lot of stuff about him.”
Ayres, who found out in the locker room before the game, knew when he came to the Clippers much of what he’d need to do to earn another deal would come off the court.
“I feel that I’ve been doing the right things for the team, doing the right things I’m supposed to do, getting my work in when I’m not playing, talking on the bench, just making an impact however I can,” Ayres said.
This was the first time Ayres had to play on a 10-day contract in his life. For some, that stress can weigh on a player. Ayres said he didn’t think about it like a countdown.
“I can’t control time,” Ayres said. “I can’t control if I get in the game. That’s coach’s call, but what I can control is how positive I am on the bench. What am I saying on the bench? What am I saying to guys during timeouts?”
He said even if his minutes are out of his control, there’s plenty still in his control where he can make an impact. When he does get on the floor, he knows he needs to be ready.
Since arriving, Ayres has played in three of the Clippers’ five games, but never more than five minutes. On Sunday, Ayres only played three minutes but still came up with a rebound, an assist and a block and was plus-six during that time.
“It’s a different mentality than the starters have or the regular rotation guys,” Ayres said. “They don’t really have it like that. That’s not their situation. They can go play, they can make mistakes, they can run up and down the floor a while and get a rhythm. How my situation is, you just have to be ready at all times.”
