Deandre Ayton Discussion: Agrees To Sign With Lakers

Ayton vs AD before injury playoffs 2021
Difference in rebounds just WOW
Even like 70 % would be awesome

 

Well, it's a better signing Ayton instead of trading Connect 4 for Mark Williams

 

His season in Portland has been awful, right now I'm not able to be so in hype with this sign because I need to see a complete different effort by him before thinking that he's still a good NBA player. In Phoenix he has showed lots of interesting things, and I've never understood why that marriage has ended in that bad way.

 

Getting Ayton is a big deal for us however it happened. We can keep LeBron as 3-4 option now and soak him in a tub of Ben Gay for the playoffs. Luka,, Austin, Ayton and company can carry the regular season ( especially with Jake here) with LeBron turning back the clock every now and then to stay sharp. Who knows what else Rob can orchestrate between now and the deadline.

 

It will definitely be fun

 

Another playoffs game
I am positive that he's going to be All Star
https://youtube.com/shorts/cXia2VBmMnQ?si=xZUhm8oE8HHik5Yw

 

Well, we know he’s talented but he’s also not a leader. Thankfully we have that part covered. If he’s mediocre, he won’t completely derail us.

 

Deandre Ayton – A Slacker Who’s Now the Lakers’ "Savior"?


Ayton was the #1 pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, ahead of Luka Dončić, Trae Young, and Jaren Jackson Jr.

Despite strong physical gifts (7'0", 213 cm), he never fully lived up to expectations.

Phoenix gave him a max contract to prevent him from leaving for nothing.

However, his lack of work ethic and commitment caused friction with coaches and teammates.



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⚠️ Red Flags in Phoenix & Portland

In 2022, Ayton was benched during Game 7 vs. Dallas and didn’t speak to Coach Monty Williams afterward.

He admitted to playing NBA 2K for 4–5 hours a day, sometimes only sleeping 2 hours before games.

Coach Williams criticized his effort in crucial moments.

In Portland, things got worse:

He missed practices, recovery sessions, even skipped a game due to “icy roads.”

Coach Chauncey Billups benched him for poor attitude.

Eventually, the Blazers bought out his contract just to move on, freeing up cap space.




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Why Lakers Picked Him Up

The Lakers needed a center badly after being dominated inside by Minnesota in the playoffs.

Ayton fits well on paper:

He can catch lobs from Luka and LeBron.

He’s good with hook shots and mid-range jumpers (solid shooting percentages).
Ayton, despite his size, plays fairly clean and rarely commits fouls (1.5 fouls per game on average last season). As mentioned earlier, his signature move is the hook shot.

Since 2021, he has attempted it 597 times, converting 58.1% of them — a solid number, close to the best in the league like Jokić and Zubac, who hit around 60% of their hooks.

Ayton also has a mid-range jumper. From closer mid-range, he shoots 51.1% on 1,401 attempts. And if defenders push him farther out, he still has an option — long mid-range, where he hits 46.9% on 552 attempt
s.
Has a history of playing well alongside elite playmakers like Chris Paul and Devin Booker.


He was acquired cheap (~$8M/year) due to his falling reputation.



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The Big Question: Can He Mentally Handle LA?

LA is a high-pressure environment.

Ayton has been called lazy and toxic.

This could be his last real NBA chance — failing in LA could push him out of the league.



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Best-Case vs Worst-Case

Best-case: Ayton finds motivation, embraces his role, and helps LA become a contender.

Worst-case: He stays disengaged, clashes with the team, and gets benched again.



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Conclusion:

Ayton is extremely talented but has a history of underachieving and poor discipline.

The Lakers are taking a low-risk, high-reward gamble.

If Ayton grows up and commits, this could be a turning point.

If not, he could be remembered as one of the biggest "what-if" cases of his draft class.

 

feel like the "toxic" label is unearned. he's underachieved some and clearly wasn't super mature coming into the league (as many of these guys are).

i'm sure lebron and jj are going to struggle with him a bit, but i think he's going to play well for us and the other stuff will work itself out.