The Los Angeles Lakers envisioned a very simple role for Deandre Ayton when they signed him to a two-year, $16.2 million deal in the offseason. They needed Ayton to protect the paint defensively, control the glass, and serve as an outlet to Luka Doncic's playmaking.
There have been spurts, flashes, and moments of the Lakers center being capable in those departments. The consistency just has not been there for Ayton in a big enough sample size. That is quickly erasing a lot of good will that fans had for the former first overall pick.
Ayton's lackluster season landed him a spot on a list no NBA player ever wants to be a part of. Greg Swartz of Bleacher Report had the Lakers starter ranked sixth among the most overrated players in the league right now. The basketball writer said there was good reason as to why the Portland Trail Blazers were paying their former center nearly $27 million this season to suit up for a different team.
"[Ayton] has long frustrated his teams with a lack of motor," Swartz wrote. "... Centers who can't protect the rim and offer no three-point shooting are a dying breed in the NBA. Ayton needs to show some sort of development in any part of his game or else he'll be out of the league in a few years."
Deandre Ayton's one-dimensional game will run him out of the NBA
13.2 points per game on 67.5 percent shooting from the floor is the part of Ayton's game that stands out as desirable (when he deems himself to be taking enough shots). Past that his added value to the Lakers has left plenty of people in Los Angeles begging for more.
The main thing that would immediately make him so much more playable would be upping what he brings to the defensive end. If Ayton was an effective rim protector, the Lakers could go so much further with him as a central figure in their rotation. He's not.
Swartz illustrated just how mediocre Ayton has been in this area in his article. The Bleacher Report writer pointed out that his 1.0 block in 30.6 minutes per game throughout his career, as well as the 59.3 percent his opponents score on him at the rim, are comparable to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
SGA is much shorter, does not play the center spot, and does not get partially paid to deter opposing teams down low.
Ayton averages 28.2 minutes per game this season, but that number has dropped to 25.6 in the Lakers' last 10 games. Is it a coincidence that Los Angeles is a better defensive unit over that span?
The Lakers rank 23rd on the year when it comes to defensive rating (116.6). They are 17th (114.7) over their last 10 games with Ayton playing less or being absent altogether.
Jaxson Hayes, meanwhile, has applied even more pressure on Los Angeles to make a tough call in the frontcourt. They (probably) won't, but they genuinely might be better off for doing it.
When the offseason arrives, Ayton will have an $8.1 million player option for 2026-27. If the status quo remains, the 27-year-old would be wise to pick that up. Similarly, the Lakers would be smart to start exploring salary dump options ahead of a crucial free agency period.