The Los Angeles Lakers brought in Deandre Ayton thinking they could tap the wealth of talent in the former first overall pick and fix everything else that had plagued him after failed stints with the Phoenix Suns and Portland Trail Blazers. They talked themselves into that one the way they could be convincing themselves that Jonathan Kuminga just might work out.
How does that classic saying go? Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.
The me in this scenario would very obviously be the Lakers. Kuminga coming to Los Angeles has had strong momentum in the rumor mill for quite some time now. The connections between those two sides have only been growing over recent days.
Rob Pelinka and company admitted they were better off without Ayton after just one year, trading him away to the Washington Wizards. Now, they could be setting themselves up to run that same type of experiment back with Kuminga, should rumors of his arrival be as real as suggested.
Jonathan Kuminga shares several of Deandre Ayton's worst traits
Unfocused on the defensive end — who does that describe? Would it be Ayton, or perhaps Kuminga? Well, the issue is that descriptor could easily apply to either of those players.
The main upside Lakers fans are being sold on with Kuminga, especially by comparison to someone like Rui Hachimura, is the defensive end. However, the free-agent forward can be quite inconsistent on that end, due to his effort levels, delivering varying effectiveness overall.
Sound familiar? It should.
Ayton the rim protector was always better in theory than it was in practice. In the long run, the former Lakers center proved incapable of delivering that much-needed desirable with enough regularity for his team.
Ayton struggled to consistently fill, and understand, his role with the Lakers. Sound familiar? It should.
Kuminga had plenty of issues fitting in with the Golden State Warriors during his time in the Bay Area. Depending on who you ask, some will fault Steve Kerr's inability to develop young players. However, it was tough to ignore the tunnel vision Kuminga displayed on offense.
Role buy-in has been a weak point for both of these former lottery picks.
There is a glaring offensive shortcoming each of these players possess, too, that limits the optimism regarding their fit. With Ayton, that was his shaky hands. Those hurt how dependable he could be on the end of a giftwrapped scoring opportunity from Luka Doncic, LeBron James, or others.
With Kuminga, it would be his ability on the deep ball. The athletic forward has only shot above league average once in his career. Overall, 33.2 percent is the mark from beyond the arc over his first five seasons.
Ayton's flaws got him exiled to Washington after one year. Despite that, the Lakers could be signing themselves up to run back a questionable fit in a position of need all over again in 2026-27.
The attractiveness of the upside is certainly understandable. Not every situation plays out the same, either. However, the similarities here are eerie. That is a tough feeling to shake amid all the Kuminga-Lakers rumors.
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