The Los Angeles Lakers’ biggest move this offseason was signing Deandre Ayton to be their starting center after he was bought out by the Portland Trail Blazers.
It’s no secret that the Lakers essentially ended last season without a center after trading Anthony Davis for Luka Doncic, and that cost them in the playoffs.
The hope is that Ayton will be able to turn his career around in L.A. playing alongside Doncic, LeBron James and Austin Reaves. Unfortunately though, his tenure didn’t get off to a great start as Ayton played 34 minutes in the Opening Night loss to the Golden State Warriors and only finished with 10 points, six rebounds and one block on 5-of-7 shooting.
The Warriors are a team that lacks interior size, but Ayton and the Lakers didn’t really take advantage of that in their defeat. On the debut of “Inside the NBA” on ESPN the following night, Lakers legend Shaquille O’Neal called out Ayton for his lack of aggression:
“Listen Deandre, ‘DominAyton.’ That performance yesterday, I need you to step it up my boy. You got to do three things. You got to rebound and you got to block shots and you got to dominate. The pressure’s not on you. You’re playing with two great players that get double a lot. When they make the little bounce pass, catch it and throw it down. You’re not getting doubled, you had a small guy guarding you in the post, you turn around and shoot a fadeaway. That’s not going to get it done. We need you brother. We need you to step it up.”
O’Neal is right that the Lakers are gonna need more from Ayton this season, but given the lack of preseason reps with the whole group, it’s gonna take some time to build chemistry.
Doncic spoke about this after the game as he is starting to learn where Ayton likes the ball in the pick-and-roll. Once they get more familiar with each other then Ayton should be able to feast, giving the Lakers a much-needed interior presence.
Ayton has not been shy about embracing the pressure of playing in L.A., and he got his first taste of that being called out by a legend like Shaq.
Austin Reaves: Lakers third quarter issues are on players
The Warriors outscored the Lakers 19-4 to begin the third quarter, which was the difference in the Opening Night loss. This has been a problem for this team for years and Austin Reaves puts that blame on the players themselves, not the Lakers coaches.
Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? It’s the best way to watch player interviews, exclusive coverage from events, participate in live shows, and more!
