Deandre Ayton played well in Thursday's win for the Los Angeles Lakers over the Golden State Warriors. Ayton tallied 21 points and five rebounds in San Francisco, and after the performance, he said all the right things, even admitting his inconsistency that Lakers fans have come to detest. It's an inconsistency that has made Ayton extremely replaceable in LA, but at the moment, the Lakers are stuck with him.
"I feel like when I'm not doing what I'm supposed to do, it's contagious," Ayton said postgame. "I be hard on myself especially when JJ (Redick) is upset because when it comes to that effort on multiple plays, I'm one of those guys he is definitely talking to. I take pride in that."
Deandre Ayton's words mean little to Lakers fans
It's nice to hear Ayton take some accountability and be honest about his shortcomings, but what Lakers fans really want to see is for Ayton to stack together some solid performances. Thursday was nice, but it was preceded by a 3-point, 3-rebound stinker for Ayton in 22-plus minutes against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
At the end of March, Ayton put together two consecutive productive outings: 12 points, seven rebounds, and three blocks on 100 percent shooting against the Washington Wizards, followed by 18 points and nine rebounds against the Cleveland Cavaliers (both victories for LA). However, That pair of performances was followed up by another weak showing against OKC (eight points and one rebound).
Now that the Lakers are in a nearly impossible position heading into the playoffs without their top two scoring threats, they'll need Ayton to contribute more than ever. It's during games like Thursday's that Lakers fans momentarily suspect that Ayton understands the assignment and has truly turned the corner.
Deandre Ayton might be turning it around at the right time for Lakers
Still, there is far too rich a history of Ayton disappointing for any rational fan to feel optimistic about what the upcoming postseason will look like for Deandre. He's not going to suddenly turn into prime Shaquille O'Neal and dominant Alperen Sengun in a first-round series against the Houston Rockets.
If Ayton were to ever radically transform his identity into a rebound-first menace (think: Andre Drummond) and just stop worrying about scoring altogether, man would his value climb. For whatever reason, Ayton's always carried around this pretentiousness that he deserves to have plays run for him and deserves a certain quota of touches, even on a team like the Lakers with three All-Star scorers.
Ironically, the Lakers will rely on Ayton now to score at a regular rate, so maybe he's about to experience his wish come true. But that doesn't mean he can ignore his responsibilities on the glass and as a rim protector. LA has zero margin for error heading into the playoffs. If Ayton has another invisible performance or two, that'll cost them the first-round.