Luka Doncic helped Jaxson Hayes look like a competent starting center for the Los Angeles Lakers in 2024-25. Imagine what Doncic will do for Deandre Ayton in the upcoming season.
Ayton arrived in Los Angeles with plenty of baggage. The former Portland Trail Blazers center also brought with him heaps of talent. The gamble here rests on the latter outweighing the former.
To the credit of Ayton, there has been humility since joining the Lakers following his buyout from the Blazers. The new starting center knows this is a year to prove to himself against all of his critics and naysayers. That is growth in his maturity that must be credited.
Doncic and Ayton is a pairing that works well on paper. It must be put into practice in 2025-26. No matter how the experiment goes, it is still difficult to imagine things ending up worse than last year's center rotation. That provides an immediate calm to this scenario.
Deandre Ayton is a clear upgrade for the Lakers no matter how you frame it
Doncic made his stance on the addition of Ayton crystal clear at Lakers Media Day. There was excitement from the superstar point guard as soon as he was told they were trying to acquire their new big man in free agency.
Ayton returned the love when speaking with the media at training camp. It was difficult not to notice the enthusiasm brought by the Lakers center when answering a question about practicing with Doncic for the first time.
Deandre Ayton said he always felt an unspoken “are you thinking what I am thinking?” desire to play with Luka Doncic since coming into the NBA Draft together in 2018. Tuesday, they shared the court as teammates pic.twitter.com/4GDY7unyM4
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) September 30, 2025
Ayton said, "It finally came to life almost, in a way. Coming up as draft prospects and finally here, eight years in, it's our eighth year together. It's actually pretty cool to be this young in our age, and finally link up, and to work together and just be a focal point of the team."
A properly motivated Ayton goes a long way for the Lakers. It is certainly no secret that Los Angeles needs the move to work out, solidifying the starting center position, so they can focus their attention elsewhere once the NBA trade deadline comes around.
Ayton comes in as a player who has averaged over 16 points and 10 rebounds per game throughout his career. The former first overall pick can also be a game-changer defensively if dialed in and utilized properly.
The floor with Ayton is still an upgrade over 2024-25. The ceiling goes far beyond that.