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

Tough to honestly root for Ayton.

He's had great games but you just feel like he's capable of so much more.

He's young, mobile, tall, and has a long wingspan. He should be catching and feasting lobs. Shoving centers out of the way and beating them down low. He's way too 'finesse' of a center, which means SOFT and lacking intensity.

You look at Pau and the one big difference between him and Pau is Pau's intensity.

Where is that in Ayton? He should be a league leader in blocks per game. He should be grabbing more rebounds considering the Lakers are one of the worst rebounding teams in the league.

There's no initiative from Ayton to be great. He'll get his easy shots and pad his FG% but if all you're going to get from him is 14/8 and mediocre defense, he's not worth investing in. Put that roster and playing time spot up for someone who you can maybe develop and turn into something better. Ayton, for the rest of his career, will always be the same player.

 

this is all true, but the problem is that getting 14/8 from a starting center (who's been a plus on defense, not a big plus, but a plus) generally costs a lot more than his salary.

 

I see the contracts more of an investment. Ayton isn't worth investing a starting slot and money if he's not going to improve. I was hoping his defense and ability to be a lob finisher would be better playing under the Lakers and LeBron+Luka coupled with his contract situation but it hasn't come to fruition. There's a visible energy shift in how the Lakers play when Hayes is out there vs Ayton. When Hayes is there, players seem to play more freely and the crowd is into it. Ayton is a better player than Hayes but for the Lakers and Luka+Reaves in particular, he isn't a better fit.

If the Lakers can pay a young center $15 million and that center improves every year, it's worth it because they'll develop into something better in your system.

I have no idea what Ayton can provide the Lakers as a center for the next 4-5 years. He's not doing anything they really need him to do other than getting wide open shots due to Luka/LeBron's passes.

 

who is this and how are they acquired. you can pay a first in trade for claxton, who's making closer to 25, but then you've slightly upgraded a position we were ok at and limited your ability to improve in places where we're really deficient.

i also don't look at him as the long-term option. he opts out, we may let him walk, but we may also sign him to a short-term deal that's tradable. i just don't see centers on the market this summer that will be an upgrade and available at the price you suggest.

again, i like goga, but is he really better than ayton? is he going to be available for what we have?

neither is the long-term answer, though, i'd agree.

maybe claxton would be the right play--assuming he's actually available.

edit: i just looked up goga's numbers, and he's still killing it in limited use.

i take it back. i'd take him over ayton.

 

hope he can find his game again when reaves returns

so odd that he's the only one he'd found chemistry with