Deandre Ayton made his much-anticipated debut for the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday, and well, it was, um, okay.
The Lakers lost to the Warriors, 119-109, at Crypto.com Arena despite the 43-point effort of Luka Doncic. The Purple and Gold kept the game close until the fourth quarter, but the Warriors proved to be too much.
Ayton finished with 10 points, six rebounds, and one block in 34 minutes. He also had four turnovers.
While it was just one game, The Ringer's Shea Serrano asked a deeply existential question: “What’s the fastest you’ve seen a team’s fan base decide they hate their new player? Because Deandre Ayton and Lakers fans might be making a run at that record.”
The 27-year-old Ayton looked out of place in several instances and seemingly lacked energy. He could still be adjusting to the system of coach JJ Redick, but getting the most minutes among the big men should only help Ayton moving forward.
Fans quickly rode on Serrano's comment.
“He’s single-handedly selling for them, I’d be breaking out the pitchforks if I was a Lakers fan,” said @sportswithmina.
“There’s a reason Portland paid him to go away,” added @rip_city_twelve.
“Lakers fans are literally the only ones that didn’t see this coming,” wrote @_TylerReid_.
“I hope DA doesn't go on social media too much cuz Lakers fans are gonna eat him alive. It's not surprising,” posted @drsabian123.
“His barber needs to do an intervention,” joked @topherstreet.
Ayton signed with the Lakers on a two-year deal worth $16.6 million in the offseason after his injury-riddled two-season stint with the Portland Trail Blazers.
