Why the Lakers’ success depends on Deandre Ayton — and vice versa
ON THE LAUNDRY checklist of errors that doomed the Los Angeles Lakers in Tuesday’s gut-wrenching loss to the Orlando Magic, Deandre Ayton‘s play wasn’t considered one of them.
Far from it.
The Lakers middle scored 21 factors on simply 11 discipline aim makes an attempt and snatched a game-high 13 rebounds, giving L.A. a stay, lively large to fight Orlando’s rugged entrance line of Wendell Carter Jr., Paolo Banchero and Jonathan Isaac.
Asked if the effort he performed with was acknowledged by his teammates, resulting in extra alternatives, Ayton gave a diplomatic reply.
“The ball finds energy,” Ayton advised reporters. “They believe in me when I’m down there and sealing, and they see me running hard to the rim and crashing; they reward me.”
It was Ayton’s first 20-10 sport in practically a month and, to him, proof of the function he ought to occupy for the Lakers extra usually.
When he was completed chatting with the group, Ayton made his means again towards the showers and stated what he actually felt — loud sufficient for anybody nonetheless in the locker room to listen to.
“They’re attempting to make me Clint Capela,” Ayton stated, referring to the Houston Rockets‘ now backup middle, who a decade in the past made his affect as a lob-catching, rim-running large on a group that made it to 2 convention finals.
“I’m not no Clint Capela!”
Though the obvious storyline popping out of the loss was how Luka Doncic handed up an open shot in the closing seconds and as a substitute dumped the ball off to LeBron James for a desperation heave, there was little consideration paid to how Doncic obtained that open look to start with.
Coming out of the timeout, Ayton executed his half in Lakers coach JJ Redick’s play with precision, working from the backcourt to the left wing and squaring his shoulders to set a tough choose on the Magic’s Anthony Black to unlock Doncic for a clear catch past the arc.
Being a display screen setter in clutch time will not be what is meant to be requested of a participant who was the No. 1 pick in the 2018 draft — two spots forward of his now teammate Doncic, three forward of Jaren Jackson Jr., 4 forward of Trae Young, 10 forward of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and 32 earlier than Jalen Brunson. Ayton, nonetheless, has by no means developed the popularity as a go-to star. Instead, his popularity has turn out to be considered one of a proficient however unserious participant, the variety who jokingly executes cartwheels in the locker room and disappears on the courtroom for giant stretches at a time.
Marcus Smart, who additionally signed with L.A. as a free agent final summer time and whose locker is located subsequent to Ayton’s, acknowledged the room for progress.
“I think he’s done OK,” Smart stated this week. “He definitely could be better, we all could. But the thing I love about it is he understands it and he’s working. We all are trying to figure it out; this is new to everybody. He’s doing his best, but he understands it’s another notch that we need him to go to, and we’re going to try to get him there and help with that. But he knows he’s got to do his part as well.”
Or maybe most significantly, the query is whether or not he can settle for the half the Lakers need him to play.
THERE WAS LESS than an hour earlier than tipoff towards the Atlanta Hawks on Jan. 13 when Ayton entered the Lakers’ locker room.
Just inside the door, Ayton’s breezy stroll slowed down and his gait abruptly stiffened for just a few awkward steps earlier than the large man hurtled towards the flooring.
What would have been considered one of the more strange pregame accidents in NBA historical past morphed into one thing else fully: Ayton caught his fall by putting each palms over his head and gracefully executed a cartwheel, adopted by a somersault, to land safely on two ft.
“I hope that made y’all day!” Ayton bellowed to the room after sticking the touchdown. “That was a 7-footer, 260 [pounds], that just did a cartwheel!”
The Willy Wonka-esque entrance was practically as extraordinary as the circumstances that led to the 2018 No. 1 choose falling into the Lakers’ lap final summer time.
The intentional fall supplied a glimpse of the uncooked, athletic expertise that made Ayton the Phoenix Suns‘ high choice — and an instance of a questionable popularity that has adopted him for years throughout the NBA.
Early in his profession, he would typically take on a distinct persona when answering inquiries to the media — “Alejandro,” who spoke with an accent, was a favourite of his; “Josh,” whose temper would swing at the drop of a hat, was one other — sources advised ESPN. And he would typically keep in character when interacting with gamers and coaches. With the Portland Trail Blazers, for whom he performed from 2023 to 2025, he infamously missed a house sport towards the Brooklyn Nets as a result of he did not put together to make the commute to the area with the frigid forecast and was reportedly stuck in his neighborhood due to snow and icy circumstances.
But when a participant has a standing attain of 9-foot-3, a wingspan of 7-5 and a 43-inch vertical leap, sure behaviors may be tolerated as peccadilloes somewhat than shunned as unprofessional.
AUSTIN REAVES, SLOWLY ramping up from a left calf strain, took a break from his particular person ability work and plopped himself down in a courtside seat at Ball Arena. As he crammed his lungs with the skinny Denver air, his eyes mounted on a teammate working himself right into a full lather earlier than the sport.
It was per week after the Hawks game — the evening that began with Ayton’s flips and completed with him scoring 17 factors on 7-for-9 taking pictures and 18 rebounds — and the large man was connecting on midrange shot after midrange shot as the Lakers readied to play the group that ended their seasons in 2023 and 2024.
“That guy right there is the X factor,” Reaves advised ESPN, gesturing to Ayton. “He changes our ceiling.”
Ayton’s efficiency thus far this season has been a success by many measures.
The Lakers are 16-3 when Ayton has at the least 10 discipline aim makes an attempt, however that stat carries a significant caveat: Only three of these video games got here when James, Doncic and Reaves have been additionally in the lineup. There have been extra touches to go round.
He’s averaging 13.2 factors, 8.5 rebounds and 0.9 blocks. He has appeared in 49 video games, making him the second-most out there participant on the group, trailing solely Jake LaRavia.
Though he is averaging a career-low 9.0 discipline aim makes an attempt, he is taking pictures a career-best 66.7% from the discipline. That’s the second-best mark in the NBA, behind the Minnesota Timberwolves‘ Rudy Gobert, and if it holds might be the finest by any Laker for a season since Wilt Chamberlain in 1972-73.
But Ayton’s affect is judged relative to expectation, very like his group is.
Consider a hypothetical: Team A is 11 video games over .500 in the best convention in the best basketball league in the world after its finest three gamers have been on the courtroom collectively for less than 13 of the first 57 video games. A success story, little doubt.
But when the Lakers label is utilized and the star energy of James, Doncic and Reaves is added to the equation, it is simply not as spectacular, context be damned.
The identical goes for Ayton, whose draft standing and early postseason exploits in Phoenix — serving to the Suns to their first NBA Finals look in practically three a long time at age 22 — set the normal he should construct on to be seen as reaching his potential.
“As a first pick,” a Western Conference scout advised ESPN, “he’s mostly underachieved.”
THE 2025-26 SEASON started with promise for Ayton. He put up 20 and 10 in six of the Lakers’ first 15 video games, together with in wins towards groups that includes elite large males in San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama and the Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo.
But then the Lakers went 4-7 from Dec. 20 by means of Jan. 12, and Ayton’s momentum halted, too.
After scoring simply 4 factors on 2-for-4 taking pictures on Jan. 2 towards the Memphis Grizzlies, Ayton aired a uncommon grievance.
“Bigs can’t feed themselves,” he said.
Redick — who has remained an advocate behind the scenes, sources near Ayton advised ESPN — took the suggestions in stride. In a rematch with Memphis two nights later, Redick referred to as the first play for Ayton and the early rating spurred him to fifteen factors, eight rebounds and three blocks for the sport.
“It’s a tale as old as time for a big guy,” Redick stated. “That’s the reality of being a big: Someone has to pass you the ball. You’re not initiating the offense.”
There’s additionally an ego that’s wanted to thrive on the NBA stage. Similar to James’ “CHOSEN 1” tattoo that spans from shoulder to shoulder, Ayton has “DOMINAYTON” inked in jagged capital letters throughout his higher again.
The Lakers have stoked that ego, too: Rob Pelinka, group president of basketball operations and common supervisor, commissioned a black T-shirt with a gold display screen print depicting half of a lion’s face and half of Ayton’s face that he introduced to the 27-year-old. Members of the coaching employees wrap Ayton’s water bottle in athletic tape and write “DA’s Crunk Juice — Drink this to unleash the beast” in black marker on it earlier than video games.
The job for the Lakers is getting Ayton to care as a lot for the grind and the function as he does for placing factors on the board.
“When he’s at his best, and we’ve seen it, we’ve seen glimpses of it, he’s playing with force,” a group supply advised ESPN. “And that’s playing with great force on both ends of the floor when it comes to screening. Then rolling and putting pressure on the rim; [when the] shot goes up, crashing the glass; sprinting back in transition; loading to the basketball; calling out your communication; being in the right positioning; contesting shots; boxing out. Those things for a big are just really thankless when you’re a skilled big. But on this team, that’s what his role is.
“He needs to be a dust employee.”
Of all the dirty work Ayton has been tasked with, he has excelled as a screener. He has set 15.7 on-ball screens per game for Doncic — the third most among duos to run 200 or more plays together this season, according to ESPN Research. He has also averaged 3.7 screen assists — a pick that directly leads to a player making a field goal — this season, the fourth most in the league.
“He does an awesome job creating contact and knocking defenders off to permit our playmakers to make performs,” a team source told ESPN. “And it is one thing that, frankly, he is been fairly dedicated to.”
Team sources told ESPN that when Ayton brings energy to these duties, the big man earns more minutes and, in turn, gets fed by his teammates more often.
When he doesn’t, it’s easy to spot the difference.
“He picks and chooses when he needs to lock in and play,” the West scout added. “Which will not be what most dominant facilities do.”
AYTON SPENT THE All-Star break in his native Bahamas, rehabbing the right knee soreness that caused him to miss two games.
On his way back to L.A., he was detained at Lynden Pindling International Airport in Nassau for “a really small amount of marijuana [that] wasn’t in Deandre’s bag,” his lawyer, Devard Francis, told Reuters.
Ayton was quickly released, according to Francis, and sources told ESPN he made it back to L.A. without missing any team activities. The Lakers consider the situation a misunderstanding and have moved forward from it, a source familiar with the organization’s thinking said.
In his first practice back with the team, he did everything the coaching staff was looking for.
“He was in fairly fine condition,” a team source said. “He was spirited. He had good disposition.”
It carried over to the Lakers’ first sport after the break, a 125-122 win over the LA Clippers, when Ayton was responsible for the highlight of the night by sprinting the floor and skying through the air to throw down an alley-oop from James. He closed the game, too. He played 10 out of 12 minutes in the fourth quarter and was the only Lakers starter with a positive plus-minus in the final frame, finishing the game with 13 points, seven rebounds and a block.
“DA was nice,” Redick said. “Very engaged, and simply was in a position to execute our defensive sport plan at a very excessive degree.”
But in the Lakers’ subsequent sport — a 111-89 loss to the rival Boston Celtics with purple and gold royalty such as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson and James Worthy in attendance for Pat Riley’s statue ceremony — Ayton finished with as many fouls as points (four) and played just three minutes in the fourth quarter.
This is the Lakers’ Ayton conundrum, one the Suns and Blazers experienced and divested from — engaged and effective one night, disengaged and absent the next.
During the team’s film session Monday to review the Boston loss, Redick lauded Ayton for his defensive presence, particularly for his execution when the team switched 1 through 5, but he also highlighted where Ayton’s effort was lacking.
“There was a clip,” Redick said, “Jaylen Brown goes to the flooring. We’ve obtained a 5-on-4 and [Ayton] goes at about 20% velocity, the place it is clearly a man-down scenario. So when it comes to him working and placing strain on the rim and offensive rebounding, notably towards switches and smaller gamers, he might be higher there.”
Ayton was hardly solely responsible for the loss on a day when James, Doncic and Reaves combined to shoot 22-for-53 (41.5%). And Redick, justifiably, was just trying to get something to click when he tried out different personnel late.
“I’ve his again,” Redick said of Ayton. “These guys, we attempt to make them perceive my job is to assist the Lakers attempt to win basketball video games. And so nothing is ever private.”
Now, as the sixth-place Lakers are hitting the most crucial stretch of the season with 25 games to go, Ayton is too.
If the Lakers make a run and Ayton fulfills his role, his gamble to forfeit $10 million of his $35.6 million salary with the Blazers for 2025-26 to become a free agent could pay off with a new, multiyear contract this summer in L.A. or elsewhere. But if they stumble, Ayton’s contributions, or lack thereof, will be seen by everyone around the league.
Which makes this a tenuous time. For the Lakers to win, every player will have to play his role. But if the Lakers aren’t winning, every player playing for his next contract — like Ayton — will naturally feel the pull to play for himself.
It’s what Ayton, at his introductory news conference in July, said he wanted. And now that desire will truly be tested.
“It’s a platform that I can’t run from,” Ayton said. “I can present what I actually am … [There] is a variety of gasoline in me to show to the complete world.”
ESPN’s Matt Williams contributed to this report.
