Since it’s the dog days and there’s no further moves the Lakers can make until 2026 (likely after the season on draft day) I figured I’d spend some time getting to know our new center, DeAndre Ayton. It’s safe to say that quite a lot is riding on Ayton at least replicating some aspects of his best seasons to date. Let’s break down his strengths, weaknesses, and x-factors in his game.
1) Ayton will work well in the pick and roll with all 3 of our playmakers. Google his shot profile and you’ll see that DeAndre is an above-average paint scorer. Get much further out and his efficiency plummets (although he shoots a shade above league average on straight away three pointers). His midrange and baseline game is nonexistent but he does possess a great touch around the rim, a solid floater and an array of hook shots that he uses when he can’t finish at the rim or on an offensive put back. This is welcome news for Luka, LeBron, Austin and coach Reddick. A lot of the Laker half court offense is geared around a variety of pick and roll actions and while Jaxson Hayes is probably the better dunker snd more athletic finisher, Ayton has a vastly superior arsenal of paint moves snd overall touch which means we won’t just be relying on lob dunks. That’s a good thing.
2) Average rebounder but solid. He’s no Andre’ Drummond but DeAndre can hold his own on the glass. He is certainly consistent as you can basically pencil him in for 10 boards/game (3 offensive/7 defensive for his career, roughly). Regardless, he’s a vast improvement over Jaxson Hayes who has yet to figure out how to crack the 5 rebounds/game barrier.
3) Defense. This one is tricky, his defensive rating is 110.3 for his career, which is a bit below Hayes’ 112. This is likely due to Hayes having better perimeter to paint coverage snd switching ability. Still, Ayton holds his own in the blocks and steals department because he has great hands for a center. I’m not counting on another level of defense he can achieve but if he can just put up his career numbers snd we have Jax in the wings for more mobile situations I think we’ll have a very workable defensive center situation. Not elite, or even above average, workable.
4) Role and work load. One hopes that Ayton has, for the most part, left his notions of being a back to the basket/post up dominator. Not because I don’t admire the low post game but because he’s better in the pick and roll. Having elite playmakers get him the ball in his spots just makes sense. I’d love to see LeBron and Rui post up more, they have the bag for it. DeAndre…notsomuch. He’s limited as a pick and pop option but he can be a pick and flip threat. He’s not remotely a stretch player and should the three as a last resort. On defense he needs to focus on getting those defensive rebounding numbers up and being a rim deterrent. His workload…that’s a tricky one. His career high in games played was his rookie year (71) when he was 20. Since then he’s played as few as 38 and not cracked 70 again. I’ll be happy with 65-70 games played. The calf injury should be well healed by now snd so he’s had a summer to get back to focusing on the game so we’ll see. His snd Vando’s health loom large as X factors for the entire season.
5) Speaking of X factors…. Ayton is a walking X factor for the Lakers. Probably no player besides Vanderbilt has a bigger question mark over them. For Ayton those questions come down more to his focus, approach, passion and grit. If I could Jarred Vanderbilt’s heart, spirit and grit in DeAndre’s body I’d have thenon the lab table in the spooky mad scientist lair, Erlenmeyer flasks and all, faster than you can Dr. Frankenstein. Any and all questions regarding DeAndre’s impact begin and end with the mental and heart side of the game. The intangibles, if you will.
I’ll conclude with this observation: Ayton has been a solid pillar on a winning team early in his young career. For reasons known and otherwise he wanted to leave Phoenix, had to stay and since then has seemed a shell of what one imagined he could become. He’s still young and has experienced two very different ends of the NBA spectrum in a short amount of time. He has every opportunity to redefine his story and make a boatload, or at least above average, amount of NBA money. Not All Star money. But solid. The ball is in his court.
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