The Los Angeles Lakers' offseason acquisition of Deandre Ayton keeps looking worse and worse, and Ayton himself doesn't appear to have any awareness about how much he's hurting the Lakers or his own basketball reputation.
It doesn't seem like anyone inside the Lakers' organization is helping Ayton wake up from his delusions, although at least Marcus Smart is trying.
And if Ayton can't digest any constructive criticism from within the Lakers' building, there's little chance that any advice from the outside will reach his ears. That didn't stop former NBA guard-turned analyst Austin Rivers from dishing out some truth in Ayton's direction on Sunday.
Austin Rivers just perfectly explained Deandre Ayton's Lakers problem
In a minute-long video posted to X, Rivers succinctly summed up Ayton's issue and potential solution.
Rivers prefaced his point by contextualizing it as a greater warning to all players, like Ayton, who fail to realize how to star in their role. Failing to understand your role can cost you millions of dollars in the NBA and lead to your premature exit from the league, a fate that Rivers himself admitted to succumbing to.
On the other hand, realizing your role and executing it can lead to unexpected levels of success. "Starring in your role (and) knowing your role can change your life," Rivers urged.
In zeroing in on Ayton, Rivers avoided a deep analysis of Ayton's recent remarks about Clint Capela, choosing instead to emphasize that if Deandre can realize how to star in his role, he will add years to his career and make himself "a lot more money".
Deandre Ayton's Lakers tenure has harmed his career
Rivers was spot-on with these remarks, which makes it all the sadder that they are unlikely to reach Ayton, who doesn't seem to be listening to virtually any good basketball advice at this point.
On the other hand, maybe the outside noise is getting too difficult for Ayton to ignore. Criticisms of his nightly efforts have been piling up of late, with certain analysts being unafraid to claim that Ayton could actually be out of the league soon if he keeps this up.
In a dog-eat-dog league like the NBA, talent alone gets you nowhere, and Ayton might be the next casualty of thinking it does. We've seen a guy like Ben Simmons -- with all the talent in the world -- basically destroy his reputation and become a non-factor in the league due to mental fragility, a lack of passion for the game, and an unwillingness to consistently work hard.
Ayton, a lesser talent than Simmons, had the chance this year to audition his value to the whole basketball world while playing under the Lakers spotlight. But all Ayton's done is erode his value further, and LA surely can't wait to move on from his services in the coming offseason.