![\"Deandre](\"http:\/\/res.cloudinary.com\/ybmedia\/image\/upload\/c_crop,e_improve,h_675,w_1200,x_0,y_32\/c_fill,f_auto,h_900,q_auto,w_1600\/v1\/m\/4\/4\/446f69094d72cceb72b4d7aac331d8011104ec5c\/jericho-sims.jpg\")
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Deandre Ayton is stepping into a pretty sweet situation with the Lakers going from some rocky seasons to suddenly lining up next to LeBron James, an all-time legend, and Luka Doncic, who\u2019s got all the tools to become one himself. It\u2019s safe to say that\u2019s a huge upgrade in the teammates department.<\/p>\n
But what really got people talking was what Ayton had to say before the move became official. He didn\u2019t just praise Doncic\u2019s game, he made sure to sneak in some solid praise as well, commending the Slovenian for his physique in the off-season.<\/p>\n
While speaking to the media about teaming up with Doncic, Ayton said, \u201cLuka is a once-in-a-generation player and I\u2019m happy to be his teammate. Hearing about the kind of shape he\u2019s been in, he\u2019s super ripped and I\u2019m finally glad to be on his side.\u201d<\/p>\n
Deandre Ayton on playing with fellow 2018 draftee Luka Doncic on the Lakers: “Luka is a once-in-a-generation player and I\u2019m happy to be his teammate. Hearing about the kind of shape he\u2019s been in, he\u2019s super ripped and I\u2019m finally glad to be on his side”<\/p>\n
\u2014 Dave McMenamin (@mcten) July 8, 2025
\nIt\u2019s no secret around the league that the Mavericks let Doncic go partly because they weren\u2019t exactly thrilled with his fitness habits. Word is, the front office felt he wasn\u2019t staying in shape like they wanted; they thought he was carrying too much extra weight and ignoring their push to slim down and level up.<\/p>\n
So when Ayton called Doncic \u201csuper ripped\u201d after joining the Lakers, it was more than just a compliment. It was a not-so-subtle jab at all the people doubting his fitness levels and his dedication to the sport.<\/p>\n
On the flip side, moving on from Doncic did open the door for the Mavericks to snag Cooper Flagg in the 2025 draft.<\/p>\n
And let\u2019s be real, if Flagg lives up to even half the hype he\u2019s getting right now, Dallas might not be losing too much sleep over letting Doncic go. A few years down the road, this could look like a gamble that actually paid off big time for the Mavs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Deandre Ayton is stepping into a pretty sweet situation with the Lakers going from some rocky seasons to suddenly lining up next to LeBron James, an all-time… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":77677,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-77674","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nba"],"yoast_head":"\n