Los Angeles Lakers fans hoped a fresh start would serve Deandre Ayton well when the team signed him to a two-year deal over the summer, but here we are with a month left in the regular season, and everyone is still wondering whether he'll buy into his role or not in time for the playoffs.
On the Game Over with Max Kellerman and Rich Paul podcast, the former said that the Lakers could make some noise in the playoffs, but only if Ayton embraces the role LA needs him in, not the one he thinks he should have. That's a big if.
"If Deandre Ayton is not going to star in his role as you say, the Lakers aren't going to do anything in the playoffs. If he has a 'coming to God' moment, where he understands that actually he will amplify his value by starring in his role, the Lakers might do a little something. They're not going to get out of the West, but they could play spoiler."
Not only would it benefit the team as a whole, but it'd serve him well, as this season was his chance to prove that he can help a contender. Sacrifice is part of that. You're either in, or you're not. Unless that flip can switch and stay that way, questions about his future, not just with the Lakers, but in the NBA, will continue to rise.
Lakers may not get what they need from Deandre Ayton
Los Angeles didn't push all its chips to the table to win a title this season, as it's still looking ahead to the future with Luka Dončić, but the Lakers can still have some fun in the playoffs. They're not a top-tier contender, but they are currently the No. 4 seed in the West. Dončić, Austin Reaves, and LeBron James are all capable of getting hot.
Anything is possible, including Ayton at least trying to morph into the lob threat, Clint Capela-ish center that Dončić needs. He may not like that, but that's what LA needs from him — to be active on defense and on the glass. That push from him could result in the kind of Lakers postseason that Kellerman was talking about.
Is that too much to ask? Apparently so, but hey, he still has time to change that. Not much, but you can't rule out all hope yet. On second thought, if you already have, that's understandable. I'm not here to convince you to believe in something that may never come to pass. You should know better than to do that. We would all love to be pleasantly surprised, though!