{"id":87341,"date":"2025-08-09T07:55:40","date_gmt":"2025-08-09T07:55:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=87341"},"modified":"2025-08-09T07:55:40","modified_gmt":"2025-08-09T07:55:40","slug":"warning-lakers-will-unquestionably-regret-the-deandre-ayton-signing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=87341","title":{"rendered":"WARNING: Lakers will unquestionably regret the Deandre Ayton signing"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mb-0 md:mb-9 relative md:mx-10 md:mb-9\">\n<figure>\n<div class=\"overflow-hidden bg-lightGrey\"><picture><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"undefined w-full w-full\" title=\"Los Angeles Lakers, Deandre Ayton\" src=\"https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,x_0,y_0,w_6396,h_3597\/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images\/GettyImages\/mmsport\/20\/01k233p88z5wg7m0md06.jpg\" alt=\"Los Angeles Lakers, Deandre Ayton\" width=\"6396\" height=\"3597\" \/><\/picture><\/div><figcaption class=\"ml-1 pb-2 mt-4 md:m-3 text-darkGrey font-group-tiny\">Los Angeles Lakers, Deandre Ayton | Soobum Im\/GettyImages<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"flex flex-wrap justify-center lg:justify-normal\">\n<div class=\"flex lg:mr-4 lg:w-[calc(70%-3em)] max-w-full\"><main class=\"min-w-0 flex-1\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"viewablity-block\">\n<div class=\"article-content\">\n<p>The Los Angeles Lakers signed Deandre Ayton to be their starting center, but it will end in disaster just like his previous two stops.<\/p>\n<p>The former number one overall draft pick has all the talent in the world. Yet, he struggled to make a consistent impact on both ends of the floor.<\/p>\n<p>His decisions and emotions\u00a0caused friction in Portland\u00a0(subscription required) and ultimately led to his departure.<\/p>\n<p>The Lakers are betting on his talent thriving in a winning environment, but the\u00a0franchise will be disappointed.<\/p>\n<p>Luka Doncic recruited Ayton, and the seven-footer\u2019s\u00a0NBA career depends on this season. He must prove he can impact winning, protect the rim, and thrive as a roll man.<\/p>\n<p>The Lakers have championship aspirations and will need a fully locked-in Ayton to have any shot at that.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-2\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1\">All signs point to a negative outcome.<\/p>\n<p class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1\">The Suns and Blazers both were eager to get Ayton off their rosters. Portland was better with him on the bench last season and dealt with several off-court issues. The personality clash with head coach JJ Redick could be massive, and this may end in total disaster.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"inline-text-3\" class=\"scroll-mt-24 my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1\">Lakers will regret signing Deandre Ayton<\/h2>\n<p id=\"inline-text-4\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1\">Ayton averaged 14.4 points, 10.2 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 1.0 block in 30.2 minutes per game last season.<\/p>\n<p class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1\">He has started 391 of his 398 career games, but remains a flawed player. Ayton prefers to shoot floaters over getting all the way to the basket.<\/p>\n<p class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1\">It is why the big man averaged just 1.5 free throws per game during his two seasons in Portland. He doesn\u2019t shoot threes and struggles to protect the rim. Those are all drawbacks the Lakers will have to deal with.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-5\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1\">Coach Redick is known for being fiery and meticulous. He won\u2019t stand for Ayton missing defensive assignments or not hustling. Those have been issues in the past. Ayton and Monty Williams clashed in Phoenix to the point the big man\u00a0wasn\u2019t talking to his head coach. It could be another difficult dynamic with Redick.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-6\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1\">If all that wasn\u2019t enough, Ayton is known for wanting post-ups and commanding the ball. The Lakers have Luka Doncic, LeBron James, and Austin Reaves. They have zero interest in their three stars standing around as Ayton tries to go to work in the post.<\/p>\n<p class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1\">Luka will feed him easy buckets, but the seven-footer can\u2019t demand more touches. He has to clean up the glass and get easy scores inside.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-7\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1\">There are just too many things that could go sideways here. Ayton needs to be fully locked in. His talent will make an immediate impact, but the work must follow. The 27-year-old is just entering his prime. If he commits to being a rim roller and defensive anchor, things could work. Sadly, history suggests it won\u2019t.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-8\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1\">The Los Angeles Lakers want to win a championship with Luka Doncic.<\/p>\n<p class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1\">That is their goal. Doncic plays his best with a strong pick-and-roll partner. Deandre Ayton will get the first crack, but it will end poorly. Lakers fans should already be preparing.<\/p>\n<p class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1\">They can\u2019t get fooled by one game.<\/p>\n<p class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1\">If things start going downhill, it could spiral quickly. Trouble always seems to follow Ayton, and fans should expect nothing different in LA. It will just get more coverage.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/main><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Los Angeles Lakers, Deandre Ayton | Soobum Im\/GettyImages The Los Angeles Lakers signed Deandre Ayton to be their starting center, but it will end in disaster just&#8230; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":87345,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-87341","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nba"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>WARNING: Lakers will unquestionably regret the Deandre Ayton signing - News 365<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=87341\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"WARNING: Lakers will unquestionably regret the Deandre Ayton signing - 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