Deandre Ayton is excited to play alongside LeBron James and Luka Dončić and dominate with the Lakers.
No one is more excited about Deandre Ayton joining the Lakers than he is.
During his introductory press conference, he was cheerful and enthusiastic to begin this new chapter in Los Angeles.
Given that he was drafted by the Suns and traded to the Blazers, this was the first time in his career that he had control over where he would play.
One of the reasons Los Angeles is the winning situation he desired is the fact that they have two All-NBA caliber players in LeBron James and Luka Dončić.
Ayton talked during his press conference on Tuesday about how those two players make everyone around them better and can do the same for him.
“They both average about nine assists over their career span,” Ayton said. “The type of players they create with their teammates, they turn them into superstars. They make them bigger than their roles and make them very important on the floor as well. Just seeing that and finally getting the chance to go in and experience that would be big for me, and it’ll just get me back to my full form, how I used to play.”
For now, everything revolving around the Lakers is predicated on how well players perform alongside LeBron and Luka. During the regular season last year, Jaxson Hayes had a productive regular season as a starter paired with L.A.’s two stars.
On Hayes’ 161 made field goals, 38 came off Luka assists and 51 were off of LeBron passes. Hayes is a solid player, but Ayton is clearly better.
If Ayton performs anywhere near his best days in Phoenix, he could not only reach that full form he mentioned but also have a career year.
The best Ayton has produced was during the 2022-23 season when he averaged 18 points and 10 rebounds. Exceeding those numbers would place him amongst the best bigs in the league and would almost certainly put the Lakers as legitimate contenders in the Western Conference.
Ayton has every incentive to make this work. While he’s on a two-year deal, he has a player option for the 2026-27 season. If he is his best self, he will have the ability to opt out and be a near-max player next summer.
He wanted a situation where he could play relevant basketball, and now he has one. He has Luka throwing him lobs and LeBron finding him rolling to the rim, and if his actions match his words, then the best is yet to come for Ayton.
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.