Deandre Ayton Articles - Page 2

The Los Angeles Lakers were oh-so-desperate for a center this past offseason that they were happy to get just about anybody to fill minutes at the five. However, after just one game, it is already evident that Deandre Ayton isn’t the best fit, and there is still no depth at the pivot spot. The Lakers […]

The Los Angeles Lakers opened their season with a 119-109 loss against the Golden State Warriors at home. While Luka Doncic top-scored in the game with 43 points, Deandre Ayton could only muster 10 points and six rebounds off 5-7 shooting. While he was efficient throughout the night, Ayton seemed to appreciate how he can […]

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 […]

Former NBA star and Hall of Famer Steve Nash expressed doubts about how effectively Deandre Ayton will mesh with Luka Doncic as the Los Angeles Lakers prepare to open the 2025-26 regular season next week. Speaking on The Zach Lowe Show, Nash discussed his concerns about Ayton’s offensive role and questioned whether the center’s style […]

As the Los Angeles Lakers prepare for their regular-season home opener against the Golden State Warriors next Tuesday, sports analyst Bill Simmons outlined several concerns he believes could derail the team’s 2025-26 campaign. Speaking on the latest episode of The Bill Simmons Podcast, the longtime commentator discussed what he described as a turbulent environment surrounding […]

The Los Angeles Lakers have had a difficult time during their preseason campaign thus far, dropping to 1-3 after the latest 113-104 loss against the Phoenix Suns. However, fans got their first glimpse of Luka Doncic, who played 22 minutes and looked his usual dominant self. “I felt great. That was probably better than I […]

The Los Angeles Lakers had a pressing need for a new starting center after they ended the 2024-25 campaign with such a thin frontcourt as they found themselves decimated by the Minnesota Timberwolves on the glass in the first round of the playoffs. They did address that need of theirs by bringing in Deandre Ayton […]

LOS ANGELES – Following the Los Angeles Lakers’ disappointing playoff flameout in the opening round last season, it was painfully obvious that their most glaring offseason need was a starting caliber center. After a slow start to the preseason, Deandre Ayton showed that he is the answer for the Lakers up front following their 126-116 […]

Over the last few days, the Los Angeles Lakers have been participating in training camp and practicing in preparation for the upcoming 2025-26 season. The only problem is that LeBron James and Luka Doncic have not been practicing alongside the rest of the team for vague injury reasons that evidently restrict them from being around […]

Los Angeles Lakers center Deandre Ayton’s debut with his new team didn’t go as planned, as the Lakers fell 103-81 to the Phoenix Suns in their preseason opener Friday night. Ayton, facing his former team, struggled offensively in limited minutes. The 27-year-old finished with one point, eight rebounds, two blocks, one assist and one steal […]

The Los Angeles Lakers addressed their most urgent need heading into the offseason when they pounced on the surprise availability of Deandre Ayton on the free-agent market after the Portland Trail Blazers decided to buy him out of his contract. Considering how limited the Lakers’ resources were, upgrading their frontcourt with the addition of Ayton, […]

LOS ANGELES – Coming into the offseason, one of the Los Angeles Lakers’ most obvious needs was a starting center. While Jaxson Hayes filled in admirably following the Anthony Davis trade, the playoffs showed he is more suited to being a reserve center. With little to no trade assets to acquire what they needed, the […]

The Los Angeles Lakers will enter training camp with renewed optimism with Luka Doncic looking deeply motivated in his first full season with the team as he underwent a physical transformation in the summer. The Lakers did not make big splashes in the offseason, only adding Deandre Ayton, Marcus Smart, and Jake LaRavia. While some […]

With fans making their predictions for the Phoenix Suns this upcoming season, there have been a lot of changes over the last handful of years that have some in the basketball world scratching their heads. On top of the Suns trading Kevin Durant to the Houston Rockets, there have been other moves that have been […]

All that matters to the Los Angeles Lakers and their fans is winning championships. When the Lakers made the move to trade Anthony Davis for Luka Doncic in February, a deal that sent shockwaves through the league, Los Angeles did so with the mindset of competing for titles in the years after LeBron James ultimately […]

As is true with ever NBA offseason, the Los Angeles Lakers have been linked to multiple moves, both big and small. Acquiring the likes of Jake LaRavia, DeAndre Ayton and Marcus Smart in free agency, LA has been reluctant to enter the trade market thus far, and things seem unlikely to change. The Lakers have […]

After a slow a start, the Los Angeles Lakers have made multiple moves to strengthen the roster this offseason. While the additions of Adou Thiero and Jake LaRavia offer depth and scoring, DeAndre Ayton is potentially a long-term solution at the Center.  All three of the brand-new Lakers were at Dodger Stadium on Saturday night […]

All things considered, the Los Angeles Lakers had a very successful offseason. Yes, Dorian Finney-Smith left for the Houston Rockets, but he was promptly replaced by Deandre Ayton and Jake LaRavia. LeBron James may have sent a couple of subtweets, but he’s considered likely to remain a Laker for opening night and beyond. Most importantly, […]

NBA predraft comparisons have usually been a decent way of gauging a prospect’s ceiling and impact in the league. However, projections aren’t always the most accurate way of predicting a player’s potential. Here are the 10 notable NBA players who had the most inaccurate predraft player comparisons, ranked. Check out the gallery. 10. DeAndre Ayton […]

While there have been rumors around Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic and an upcoming contract extension, there are more reports that reinforce the expectation that the player is committed to the team. As the topic of Doncic and a Lakers contract extension will continue to be talked about, some believe his recruiting is evidence […]

In February 2023, Mat Ishbia was announced as the new owner of the Phoenix Suns. Thus far, his ownership has been disappointing, especially when the franchise had just made an appearance at the 2021 NBA Finals. While he has not shied away from making major moves that shook the NBA, his major swings have become […]

Former NBA guard Gilbert Arenas has stirred speculation around LeBron James’ future with the Los Angeles Lakers, suggesting the 40-year-old star could be on his way out of the franchise following an apparent lack of communication with newly signed center Deandre Ayton. On the latest episode of Gil’s Arena, Arenas pointed to the fact that […]

Deandre Ayton and Nikola Jokic are two talented big men in the NBA. However, one analyst believes the new Los Angeles Lakers center should be in the same class as the Denver Nuggets superstar as well as Milwaukee Bucks sensation Giannis Antetokounmpo. Jason McIntyre appeared on a July 10 edition of Fox Sports’ The Herd […]

ESPN analyst Channing Frye isn’t confident in the Los Angeles Lakers’ new Luka Doncic and Deandre Ayton pairing, and didn’t hold back in his concerns over their defensive approach. Frye started his take by questioning the two veterans’ abilities to defend the pick-and-roll and how he believes it’ll be an ongoing issue throughout the 2025-26 […]

NBA analyst Paul Pierce didn’t hold back in sharing his honest thoughts on how close the Los Angeles Lakers’ recent Deandre Ayton signing brings them to being title contenders. Pierce had a bigger name in mind for the Lakers’ offseason. However, those All-Star players, such as Denver Nuggets All-Star Nikola Jokić and Milwaukee Bucks All-Star […]

Los Angeles Lakers center Deandre Ayton says he received a welcome message from his new teammate Luka Doncic amid his free agency signing. Ayton is still in disbelief that he’s joining Doncic and the Lakers. Ayton was the first overall pick in his 2018 NBA Draft, which is the same draft class as Luka, who […]

The Los Angeles Lakers got their center in free agency after Deandre Ayton decided to sign with the team after being bought out by the Portland Trail Blazers. Almost every team in the Western Conference has a strong frontcourt, and then you look at the Golden State Warriors. Center has been one position where they […]

The Los Angeles Lakers made one of the most talked-about moves of NBA free agency by signing Deandre Ayton, the former No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, to a two-year, $16.6 million deal. The addition comes as Los Angeles looks to retool its roster and give LeBron James one final push for […]

The Los Angeles Lakers’ vision for the 2025-26 campaign seems almost set, as they build a roster that will optimally put up more of a fight in the playoffs next year. The LeBron James-related concern that surfaced at the beginning of the offseason is starting to diminish, Luka Doncic is reportedly prioritizing his conditioning and […]

The Los Angeles Lakers just signed Deandre Ayton to a two-year contract worth just over $16 million. He’ll step in as the starting center and have the opportunity to bounce back from an injury-filled season with the Portland Trail Blazers. At the very least, he seems excited about playing alongside Luka Doncic, as Ayton revealed […]

When news broke that DeAndre Ayton was signing with the Los Angeles Lakers, it elicited a range of reactions from around the Association. Some were excited to see the Lakers land a legitimate center, one with No. 1 overall pick pedigree no less, after watching the team get brutalized in the paint by the supersized […]

After a flourish of activity early in free agency, landing Deandre Ayton and Jake LaRavia, the Los Angeles Lakers have stalled out a bit with work still clearly needing to be done. According to sources with an understanding of their offseason plans speaking on the condition of anonymity, the team is hoping to reignite trade […]

On Sunday night, Deandre Ayton was officially announced as the newest member of the Los Angeles Lakers after the 26-year-old center finalized a buyout with the Portland Trail Blazers a week ago. Ayton is coming in to be the Lakers’ new starting center after they finished last season with Jaxson Hayes (not a starting-caliber big) […]

The Los Angeles Lakers had one urgent area of need to address this offseason and they managed to do so in a big way (pun intended). On Sunday, it was officially announced by the Lakers’ official account on X that they had brought in Deandre Ayton to be the team’s new starting center. Ayton agreed […]

The Los Angeles Lakers recently signed center Deandre Ayton to a two-year deal, and while some might be skeptical, one former big man is confident that the move will pan out. Former Lakers center Mychal Thompson recently commented on the signing  and showed support for the Arizona product, who has ruffled some feathers during his […]

In some ways, Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic impacted Deandre Ayton’s decision to sign with the Lakers as a free agent this summer. The history between Doncic and Ayton dates back to their 2018 NBA Draft. They also nearly teamed up with Doncic was with the Dallas Mavericks, and now, they join forces alongside […]

Deandre Ayton’s decision to join the Los Angeles Lakers was reportedly influenced by the opportunity to play alongside Luka Doncic, according to HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto. The two former top picks are both 26 years old and enter the 2025-26 season as central pieces in the Lakers’ retooled roster. In a recent report, Scotto detailed the […]

After Los Angeles Lakers center Deandre Ayton received conflicting predictions on his new tenure with the Lakers, ESPN’s Kendrick Perkins warned the veteran center of the expectations that await. This is a tremendous opportunity alongside LeBron James and Luka Doncic. After Ayton delivered a message to Los Angeles fans and its front office, Perkins reminded […]

As the NBA world reacts to the Los Angeles Lakers’ Deandre Ayton signing, two conflicting views from his former employers, the Phoenix Suns and Portland Blazers, have reportedly weighed in on the veteran center’s fit. The Blazers’ former staffer has high hopes for Ayton and the Lakers, while the Suns’ former staffer doesn’t think DeAndre […]