The Los Angeles Lakers need a better rim protector than Deandre Ayton to have any shot at winning a championship with Luka Doncic leading their roster. Fans know that Los Angeles must surround number 77 with shooting and defense. Ayton offers neither, but his rim protection is the most problematic. LA needs a center to anchor their defense, and Ayton is not the answer.
The Lakers were 3.6 points per 100 possessions better defensively with Ayton on the bench when low-leverage situations were factored out. That number ballooned to 5.1 points per 100 in the playoffs. Ayton can’t defend on the perimeter and doesn’t have the instincts to consistently contest around the rim. The result is too many easy buckets for the opposition. In the playoffs, those end the team’s season.
Ayton is not the answer for the Lakers. They need a center upgrade, and the focus should be on finding a rim protector capable of operating as a lob threat for Luka in the pick-and-roll.
Lakers need a better rim protector than Deandre Ayton
This partnership was doomed to fail from the start. Ayton’s inconsistent effort and lack of buying into his role were problems in Phoenix and Portland. He tried to lock in on what the Lakers asked, but Ayton ended up often being overmatched.
Look at DeAndre Ayton with the season on the line pic.twitter.com/OpBbxhrWyz
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Giving effort like that in the playoffs is unacceptable. Ayton’s minutes decreased throughout the second-round series against the Thunder. It was clear that OKC was attacking him and feasting on the results.
Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves create perimeter defensive issues for the Lakers. They are below-average individual options. Los Angeles needs someone on the backline to clean up mistakes and force contest shots at the rim.
The Thunder have Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein making it difficult for the opposition to score inside. Victor Wembanyama is an all-time great shot-blocker and rim protector. The Timberwolves use Rudy Gobert to make it hard to score at the cup. Those are the other three teams that reached the Western Conference semifinals.
Ayton isn’t suddenly improving. He turns 28 in July and has struggled throughout his NBA career. DA has an $8.1 million player option for next season. If he opts in, the Lakers must trade him. They simply can’t waste another season of Luka’s prime with a subpar rim protector anchoring their defense.
The opposition shot 72.0 percent in the restricted area against the Lakers this season, which was the second-worst mark in the NBA. Only the rebuilding Jazz were worse. Credit to head coach JJ Redick for even getting Los Angeles to 20th in defensive rating after giving up so many easy buckets at the rim.
The Los Angeles Lakers must upgrade their rim protection. It should be their second biggest priority behind retaining Austin Reaves. The Lakers have three tradeable first-round picks starting on draft night. They need to dump Deandre Ayton and find a better option. A rim protector and lob threat is what Luka wants, and it's on the front office to acquire it this summer.
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