I never expect anyone to be anywhere near a Kobe as he was one of a kind. However, it is not too much to expect consistent effort. If we can't get that from DA I prefer to have someone like Jax in the he game., at least he is fun to watch. Maybe DA will come out cooking and all will be well.
Again, stats are great but rarely tell the real story. If a player is low energy the team will feel it in other ways. If a guy is making 8m or 40m I still expect him to play hard. It just seems crazy to me to say a guy is only making 8m so he gets a pass.
hmmm...not sure what you want, as imo, ayton has been able to do more for us than hayes in the preseason. hayes was struggling making teams pay for playing zone and just exposing the middle. ayton feasts there and did so in the preseason. this is what talent buys. and i've been a bigger hayes fan than most here, but there's a reason jj decided that not playing a center at all (against a big team) was better than hayes. and i don't think that reason is that jj is an idiot and we're smarter. i think he was right that strategically, the wolves figured what hayes couldn't possibly do--no matter how motivated--and killed us with it.
I have stated what I want very clearly, effort. That happens I'm good. Nothing to do with anyone being an idiot or any of us being smarter than anyone else. That post is a little below your normal high standards, get it together man...lol.
Welp..with LeBron absent, I guess Ayton will be the early focal point, of all the angst, and consternation, if we start out shaky. Welcome to the Lakers big guy! Now go out there, and kick some a**, and shut em up!
Multiple things are capable of being true at the same 1) He's not going to be as good as he could be due to a lack of will/killer instinct/drive 2) He's still better then Kwame Brown 3) On a team where he asked to do specific things well: he may be able to focus better then he's had to in the past
There's a difference between effort and ability. If you don't have the ability, it doesn't matter how much effort you put forward. No matter how hard Jemison plays, he just won't be able to hold a candle to the impact a low effort Ayton can have. So if the net outcome means we're a better team, I'm not really concerned if Ayton isn't showcasing fire and brimstone every play. As to why the $8 million point is important, it comes down to team building. As long as the contract is a net positive, you're one step closer to a championship. If Ayton was earning $40m, he would be expected to be the engine of our team, but we have Lebron and Luka for that and they're extreme competitors - at $8m his play is exceeding the value of his contract. I tend to agree with Mr Beer, as Lakers fans we have been spoilt by having too much success and way too much greats - not everyone can have the competitive nature of West, Kareem, Magic, Shaq, Kobe, Lebron etc.
I never stated that I expected Ayton to “be Kobe” or be as “engaged as Kobe.” I’ve already stated my point: Ayton hasn’t, throughout his past seasons in the NBA, given enough effort and I’m not expecting him to suddenly change his spots just because he changed uniforms. You can disagree, but this label was not just made out of thin air- it stuck to him based on his play on the court.
Not if he goes out and plays hard. Laker fans are much more knowledgeable than some give them credit for and it really doesn't take a genius to pick out the problems. It is also easy to throw out stats and ignore issues or possibly not be able to see the game beyond the numbers. Not all Laker fans, but most, love hustle guys and redemption projects. Ayton will be the same, if he brings it he will be a fan favorite, if not, well... Another misconception is thinking that if you point out what could help the team that you are a bad or lessor fan. That has plagued the LeBron butt kissers for years. I will be cheering the big guy on and pointing out areas of improvement.(Both can be done) There are other fans that just want to pucker the lips and enjoy the rolling hills and that is cool too. Going to be a good season.
I imagine we'll see the Warriors switch Luka/Ayton P&Rs a good bit tomorrow night. Good early test of whether he can punish some smaller guys down low and get some offensive rebounds.
Exactly. I think as long as everyone keeps expectations in line, I think he will do fine and be a clear improvement for us.
Why Ayton will be worse than at Portland where he's averaged 14 points and more than 10 rebounds and he actually not called for fouls Basketball reference show only 2.2 fouls When he played in Playoffs for Phoenix he made some history Ayton’s 72.6 field-goal percentage on at least 100 attempts is the best by any NBA player over a 12-game span in the playoffs during the shot-clock era, according to Elias Sports Bureau. Ayton is also grabbing 10.8 rebounds per game, helping him record eight double-doubles in those 12 playoff contests. Ayton’s performances have largely occurred against challenging matchups. He regularly guarded Anthony Davis prior to his groin injury in the first round against the Los Angeles Lakers, helping hold him to 5-of-16 shooting in Game 1. Ayton made things tough over three-plus games on Denver’s Nikola Jokic, who received his NBA Most Valuable Player trophy during the series and later gave Ayton his jersey featuring the handwritten message “U ARE (A) BEAST!!! KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!!!”
Overall was pretty happy with what I saw in pre-season. Chemistry with Luka needs a bit of time. His effort, rebounding, size, passing to the open man, expected defense and scoring has all looked either as i expected or better Biggest negative is there's no above the rim ability offensively. I knew he wasn't a leaper, but JJ might be a better lob threat for Luka than Ayton is. Like the quote he had about here to do the little things and isn't worried about scoring. Don't always get that from guys on prove it to the league contracts
Plays so damn soft.... Sorry but it annoys the hell out of me. Pau was just physically weaker than other bigs... Ayton is just mentally weak! A bigger problem.
Played really well on defense, did his job on the glass. offense started pickup up to end the game as well. Solid performance. He's a positive player negatives They need to stay away from posting him up and iso'ing him against good post defenders Not impressed with his screens. Lebron fixes the blitzing defense I get it but his screens are AD soft as charmin ones a lot which doesn't help him get space on the roll
