Deandre Ayton Discussion: This Is A Platform I Can't Run From

Not according to him! This has to be one of the funniest postgame interviews I’ve ever seen.

 

he's enjoying himself, looking so happy, everybody would be playing with the 3 of the bests passers in the NBA

 

That's a decent start.

 

I was cracking up at this and kind of surprised it didn't get mentioned right away. I didn't quite know how to take his comments. He reminded me of my surly brother.

 

his interviews are bizarre and a little concerning, with some occasional unintentional humor. we have good leadership in the locker room, i think, which allows you to have an ayton.

 

There is absolutely no way a guy with that touch should be a bad FT shooter.

I've been the biggest Ayton guy on here but this shows the limits of his work ethic and the enigma that's he has been

 

Meh...Bigs have been struggling at the FT line, ever since the game was invented. Some of them never get better, than avg/poor free throw shooters. I don't think it has anything to do with work ethic.

 

Big guys big hands

 

Jokic shoots around 83%

 

The excuses for these guys - Ayton effortlessly hits on the move shots off from the FT line in game. This isn't a Shaq like situation. Centers with touch shoot well from the FT lin Kareem shot 73%, Jokic 80%+

 

It is weird. There are guys who are better catch-and-shoot than they are shooting of the dribble, and vice versa, so maybe its something like that.

 

He might be bipolar

 

yeah, it could be that he's just trollin' and funnin'--saw an article today suggesting that he's putting it all on. i don't think so, though.

 

Wow, this must feel like Christmas to Ayton.

 

Very good points on our center situation. I feel like we’re only a few minor tweaks away defensively on the perimeter from being elite.

If we could turn some of Gabe, Kleber, Vando, Knecht into another rotation piece or two, we would be in a really strong standing.

 

well, ayton shoots 75% for his career, which is actually quite good for a big. when you have to pull out jokic as the upside comp, that's kind of working against the argument, right?

don't look, what's noted shooting center vucevic's ft % for his career?

there's something to the idea that bigs just don't hit FTs like guards. maybe it's hands, release point, whatever, but it's there--even in guys who hit from deep.

 

To be fair, maybe he’s just not that loquacious or able to express himself that well in words?
Anyway, he’s not a spokesman for the Lakers so it doesn’t bother me at all.

 

Quote from Deandre in a The Athletic article today about the Lakers and the quarter final game tonight with Spurs and the NBA Cup.

“Cool court,” Deandre Ayton said, sort of flatly.

It’s not exactly the sentiment the NBA had hoped to cultivate with this in-season competition, now in Year 3, but Ayton and Smart can be forgiven if the competitive rush from the NBA Cup isn’t driving them.

To be fair, they’ve been feeling that buzz simply by being Lakers.

For a pair of players who have tasted winning — Smart with the Boston C Bags and Ayton with the Phoenix Suns — the return to those standards in Los Angeles has been inspiring enough. From the future Hall of Famers on the roster to the names and numbers of the Hall of Famers who have played for the franchise before, Ayton said championship motivation is a daily thing.

“Being here in this atmosphere … winning speaks for itself,” he said. “Just the names around here. It’s motivating. Seeing where we are in the season, why not us?”