The Los Angeles Lakers went into the offseason in dire need of a center and they found one with the signing of Deandre Ayton.
While Ayton gives the Lakers the starting center they had been looking for, the signing naturally came with a lot of criticism. The former No. 1 overall pick looked to be on an All-Star trajectory with the Phoenix Suns, but questions about his motor and attitude led to him being traded to the Portland Trail Blazers, where he mostly has lived in irrelevancy over the last two seasons.
There’s nothing irrelevant about playing for the Lakers though and now that he is back in a winning environment, Ayton is looking forward to proving the doubters wrong.
“Most definitely. It fuels me. It fuels me up completely,” Ayton said of the criticism he’s been hearing. “And it’s a different type of drive that I’ve been wanting to express for a long time. I think this is the perfect timing, here in the purple and gold. And it’s a platform that I cannot run from.
“I can show what I really am and just be around some greats to really emphasize that for me as well. It is a lot of fuel in me to prove to the whole world.”
Ayton emphasized that his focus with the Lakers is on winning games and the rest will take care of itself.
“I feel like at the end of the day, I’m on the court and I’m supposed to perform,” he said. “It’s just different routes with organizations, whether you want to win or not. I just took my route where I want to win. When it comes to wins, you play hard when you know everybody’s goal is to win. You do everything you’re supposed to do or can do to win.”
It seems that Ayton is coming to L.A. with the right mindset, and at just 26 years of age, he wants to make it clear that his best days are still ahead of him.
Deandre Ayton compares playing with Luka Doncic to video game
Deandre Ayton joining the Lakers means they will have two of the top three picks from the 2018 draft with Luka Doncic already on the road. The two have a previous relationship and Ayton expressed how excited he is to play with Doncic.
“This feels like a video game. Like somebody set it up. Like somebody set this up,” Ayton said. “But honestly, this is an opportunity that I won’t take for granted. Luka is a once-in-a-generation player and I’m happy to be his teammate. Hearing about the kind of shape he’s been in, he’s super ripped and I’m finally glad to be on his side when he’s doing all of that. And I’m just truly excited. I’m a student of the game and I love to play with a passion. And the love I have received and I’ve not even thrown on a jersey, I can only show you guys my appreciation.”
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