A storyline worth monitoring entering the 2025-26 season was Deandre Ayton with the Los Angeles Lakers. After last year, L.A. clearly needed a starting caliber center to pair next to Luka Doncic and general manager Rob Pelinka signed Ayton on a discounted price after he was bought out by the Portland Trail Blazers.
The former No. 1 pick’s baggage in his previous stops was well-documented as at times, the 7-footer has become disconnected on both ends during his respective tenures with the Phoenix Suns and Trail Blazers.
This past summer served as a wake-up call for Ayton, as Portland bought him out and he unexpectedly hit free agency. With that, the Lakers gave him a new home and an opportunity to prove himself a championship-caliber player.
So far, so good in L.A. as Ayton has been a steady source of production offensively and more importantly, defensively. Head coach JJ Redick applauded the big man for his superb start to the regular season.
“I think he’s played phenomenal all season,” Redick said. “I mean, the one game you can point to where his numbers were down, where it was the game that he exited and didn’t play in the second half. He’s had a phenomenal start to the year. He has embraced his teammates. He’s embraced his role. He’s sacrificed in terms of just being a screener and getting his guys open. He’s finding his spots. He’s just in a really comfortable rhythm right now, and he’s doing a lot of stuff. I pointed to the defense in the fourth quarter. He was a big part of that. The help side blocks, the one-on-one blocks, he’s showing that he’s a winning basketball player, and it’s been really fun to see that blossom over the last whatever it is now, three weeks.”
Through eight games, Ayton is averaging 17.5 points, 8.4 rebounds and 1.3 blocks on 65.7% from the field. Pick-and-roll chemistry is slowly developing with Doncic, but his partnership with Austin Reaves has blossomed quickly.
As a short roller, the elbow or free throw line jumper are automatic, as that is Ayton’s go-to shot. Meanwhile, with Doncic, he is feeding him more in the paint and doing damage closer to the rim.
Overall, Reaves and Doncic have made conservative efforts to feed Ayton and he is reaping the benefits of it. However, his rim deterrence deserves praise as well, which is a credit to Redick receiving early-season buy-in from every player on this roster.
Deandre Ayton felt pressure with Dodgers in attendance vs. Spurs
The Lakers recently faced off against Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs, who had the second-ranked defense coming into that matchup. Adding to this challenging opponent, the L.A. Dodgers, reigning back-to-back World Series champions, were in attendance at Crypto.com Arena.
Admittedly, Deandre Ayton felt the pressure in the building, but the purple and gold came out with a win thanks to a great two-way fourth-quarter performance.
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