The Los Angeles Lakers are excited for the new iteration of their team. The fans and the media are excited to see the team’s newest center, Deandre Ayton. The big man got a two-year, $16.2 million contract after the Portland Trail Blazers bought out his four-year, $133 million contract. Many believe that Ayton is the perfect big man to play alongside LeBron James and Luka Doncic.
Offensively, Ayton is capable of playing the role of a finisher in pick-and-roll situations. He’s proven to be a great partner due to the scoring punch he provides. Fans have seen what he can do when he was with the Phoenix Suns. But more fans are interested in how he’ll play with stars like James and Doncic, who tend to make their teammates better.
The team has played two preseason games, and the reviews of Ayton’s performance have been underwhelming. In the first game, the Bahamian center had one point, eight rebounds and two blocks in less than 18 minutes of action against his former Suns team. He followed that up with a seven-point, seven-rebound outing in a 111-103 loss to the Golden State Warriors.
Interestingly, Ayton revealed that he has yet to work out with James or Doncic.
“I haven’t,” the big man said, It’s something I’ve just been waiting on and just got to prepare. JJ and the coaching staff probably have something where, they can put stuff together for all of us to really grow chemistry.”
The Lakers expect Ayton to be an integral part of the team this season. This is why developing chemistry with his teammates is crucial.
Ayton appreciated Doncic’s gesture to treat his Lakers teammates
Ahead of the new season, Doncic thought it would be beneficial for the Lakers to develop their chemistry off the court. His solution was to bring the entire roster to the Porsche Driving Experience. Ayton expressed his appreciation for his new teammate’s gesture.
“I truly appreciate Luka for that,” he said. “I had never done it before or had one of the star players really look out for the team like that, something like that is actually crazy. I’d never heard of it, or been in a Porsche before, my first time.”
A team needs to develop its chemistry on the floor, but it’s also crucial for the entire roster to have a great bond away from the court. For an LA team that wants to contend for a championship, its chemistry needs to be seamless for everyone to be on the same page.
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Reign also writes NBA and WNBA news updates on Sportskeeda. He started as a feature writer for AirAlamo, an NBA website that covers the San Antonio Spurs. Some of his work can also be seen on Valley of the Suns, a Phoenix Suns-centric website, where he served as a contributing writer.
