Deandre Ayton Discussion: This Is A Platform I Can't Run From

I honestly have no problem with attributing some things to luck and don’t think it diminishes the accomplishment. Sometimes opportunities fall in your lap and that’s good. Especially in sports. You still have to be able to execute and then make the thing work after it happens.

However, a lot has to happen for a guy to get bought out so I don’t know how much I’d attribute this one to luck and honestly haven’t seen anyone anywhere saying that. I think Duffy saw an opportunity for his client and set things in motion. Is that Rob and the front office getting lucky? Maybe. But it would be ignoring that very real impact the Laker brand still has and the good job we’ve done of being a spot where guys can turn around their careers.

TLDR - I don’t think it was luck.

 

Yeah I don’t think Rob would have been there just twiddling his thumbs while every other center came off the board unless he had intel that gave him confidence that we’d get Ayton

And in particular, although some of us were anxious the past few days wondering if hastily signing Laravia and eating some of the MLE would take us out of the Ayton running, I’m now pretty sure he already knew they could get Ayton with $8 million

Kinda does just seem like we wanted to do things by the book and wait until he officially cleared waivers (maybe because there was a lot of technically illegal maneuvering behind the scenes leading up to this lol)

What we may have lucked out on was otherwise having to resort to questionable Plan B’s. If the idea before Ayton became available was throwing most of the MLE at an aging Lopez or Capela… yikes

 

He's entering his prime

 

unless you know he's coming. in which case, you just beat the whole market. capela's making 1 million less with more guaranteed year. lopez making more.

we don't actually know what the process was, so...its kind of hard to dislike it. unless you're still buying stuff irwin says.

at some point, if the results keep working out, we have to consider that luck may be the residue of design.

i don't, either. but it was a good move, so rob cannot get credit cuz narratives.

i remember him whipping up on us some in the playoffs, too.

he's a mixed bag, but i'm not sure judging him based on what happened at the end in phx (look what happened after he left) or what happened in portland (which i think is one of the bigger messes in the league in some ways, tbh).

 

The Irwin podcast with the Portland journalist was one of the more informative ones in awhile
Portland media and players unlike what's being thrown out there, all liked him. They felt he was a good dude in the locker room and was a good mentor to Clingan.

Portland never thought of him as a long term piece which Ayton was hopeful for which obviously impacted him and they sat him a lot to "protect" his calf injury.

The clear issue with Ayton is the motor comes and goes - he's going to be a guy like Rui - going from Kawhii-lite to why is guy getting outrebounded cardio-gabe on another. That being said he's clearly a league average center at worst and that is a huge get for the Lakers (losing DFS for Ayton/Laravia is a no brainer in terms of need and ages of players involved). In addition based on his time in Phoenix, you can get him to produce at above league average for more games than not

 

lakers fans are toxic. in other news, the sky is blue and water is wet

 

Good to see you posting again Zen after that hellacious period. Don't you think it's time to lose the sig though? You can't be including all the players and Jeanie did you a solid selling the team so let Mark worry about all that. Or are you already on HIS a** too?

 

In due time. After a ship...

But... you have a point. Updated the sig.

 

Would you consider Ayton a softer Rasheed Wallace without Wallace's range. Ayton has a sweet touch on his shot. He is versatile, moves well for a big. I hope to get a bruiser center to back up Ayton. Hayes is to light and Len is a stiff. Ayton is highly skilled, but doesn't like to bang like AD.

 

We had plenty of practice with watching up and down play with AD. I fully expect nights of sheer dominance and other nights of what the eff.

 

i'm hoping jj finds ways to use him offensively that keep him engaged in the game defensively. gotta feed the bigs, especially ones with talent. it's hard to tell them their only jobs are to set screens and offensive rebound, then cover for everyone on defense.

 

In the last 4 seasons in the NBA, there have been 8 players who have made 100 or more shots as pick-and-roll screens: Capela, Gobert, Claxton, Gafford, Davis, Ayton, Allen and Powell. Games with Deandre Ayton as a screen in these actions are the second most effective after AD

 

considering who ayton was playing with in portland that's pretty amazing, imo.

 

I agree. Offense won't be the issue with the Lakers. They can find buckets. Ayton's defense will determine how this team plays going forward. If he's elite defensively, they could get away with different lineups by funneling the offense towards him. If he's poopoo on defense, then you have to orientate the roster and lineups.

Ayton has the length, athleticism, youth, and isn't expected to play complicated offense. If he can't improve his defense, the onus is on him as a player and he's going to hurt his value big time.

If he's elite defensively, or just a high level defender, this team has the potential to be great.