The Los Angeles Lakers took a chance on Deandre Ayton this summer. After being acquired by the Portland Trail Blazers, Ayton signed a two-year, $16.6 million contract to play with the Purple & Gold. Over the past few seasons, DA has received criticism and various labels regarding his work ethic and attitude. The former No. 1 pick’s passion for basketball has been questioned. Even Lakers fans were worried when the team acquired him during free agency.
However, Ayton has been a positive force for the team this season. In the 13 games he’s played in, the Bahamian center looks like he’s back to his usual self, averaging 16.2 points and 8.4 rebounds on 69.2% shooting. His pairing with All-Star guard Luka Doncic has worked out well for the Lakers.
The former Arizona star is gradually proving his doubters wrong. His teammate, Austin Reaves, is also contributing to shutting down the outside noise that questioned his effort and attitude.
After the Lakers’ 119-95 win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday, Reaves spoke to The Athletic’s Dan Woike. During the interview, the undrafted guard had high praise for Deandre Ayton.
“We need the best version of him for us to be as good as we can be,” Reaves said. “If he’s that, then we can be a really good team… But for us to be what we want to be, we need him to be the best version of himself every game.
“It’s unfortunate that the world works this way, that you hear things about people before you’re around ’em, that people try to paint a narrative of character,” he continued. “The best thing you could do is … you have to be your own judge of character towards people these days. The things that you hear, the things that I heard about him, was that he wasn’t coachable, moody, and it’s been completely opposite.”
Deandre Ayton listens to the noise
In the age of social media, players are aware of the talk about them. When Deandre Ayton signed with the Lakers, there were talks about him having his last chance to prove himself. Before the team’s contest against the Bucks, Ayton made it known that he’s aware of what the critics said about him.
“They said this my last chance,” he yelled over the part in the song when Bobby Hatfield sings “I need your love.
“Might as well leave it on the line,” he said.
Ayton has been a significant part of LA’s success. Over the past two games, he’s had back-to-back 20 points. His continued aggressiveness on offense has been beneficial for the Lakers, helping them to a 10-4 record.
For other sports-related content:
Follow me on- X at @BarbecueBro, and follow us at @HardwoodHeroics and @GridironHeroics. You can also reach out to Reign Amurao via email at reignamuraonba@gmail.com. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest sports news, click here!
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.
