Deandre Ayton Articles - Page 2

Deandre Ayton garnered attention for his postgame comments following the Los Angeles Lakers’ 119-95 win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday night. Ayton is going through the eighth season of his NBA career, his first with the Lakers. He went through some tough stretches during his stints at Phoenix and Portland, not reaching his true […]

Lakers coach JJ Redick made a pointed pregame gesture ahead of Los Angeles’ meeting with the Milwaukee Bucks: he showed up wearing a customized Deandre Ayton T-shirt that blends Ayton’s face with a lion’s. Dan Woike of The Athletic shared Redick’s line: “We want him to be the lion.”  It was the kind of public […]

The new NBA Cup has added some spice to the regular season. Added in 2023 to add more stakes to the regular season, the NBA Cup has since become a staple in the league. Years after its inception, though, teams are still not too sure about the rules. Just ask Los Angeles Lakers center DeAndre […]

On Saturday evening, the Los Angeles Lakers came crashing back down to Earth with a blowout road loss at the hands of the Atlanta Hawks to end their brief winning streak. Making matters especially embarrassing for the Lakers was the fact that the Hawks were without their top four leading scorers in this game due […]

It was a wild night at Crypto.com Arena on Wednesday as the Los Angeles Lakers edged out the San Antonio Spurs 118-116. The win was satisfying, especially because the Lakers honored the MLB champion Los Angeles Dodgers on the same night. After the game, Deandre Ayton spoke to NBA reporter Dave McMenamin about the pressure […]

The short-handed Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Portland Trail Blazers 123-115 on Monday night, and center Deandre Ayton provided some insight into how head coach JJ Redick’s intensity has helped guide the team through early-season injuries. “JJ’s not giving a crap who’s out there, you know, he wants to play Laker basketball,” Ayton told reporters […]

The Los Angeles Lakers bested the Portland Trail Blazers 123-115 on Monday despite being without Luka Doncic, LeBron James, and Austin Reaves. Los Angeles head coach JJ Redick offered a simple explanation as to how his short-handed squad was able to prevail. “Confidence. Belief. Connectivity,” Redick told Spectrum SportsNet after the game. The Lakers received […]

The Los Angeles Lakers return home from their brief, two-game road trip having gone 2-0 with wins against the Minnesota Timberwolves and Memphis Grizzlies. Sunday’s game for the Lakers will be against the Miami Heat, and starting center Deandre Ayton appeared on the team’s injury report. Deandre Ayton was officially listed as probable on the […]

Ahead of the Los Angeles Lakers’ game against the Memphis Grizzlies, Deandre Ayton says he looks forward to the NBA Cup’s heightened level of competition. The timing is perfect, as Ayton’s performances have stood out this week where the Lakers went 3-1 after losing their season opener against the Golden State Warriors. Coming off an […]

The Los Angeles Lakers dropped their second game of the 2025-26 season to the Portland Trail Blazers, but big man Deandre Ayton isn’t letting the chatter from his former team get under his skin. After the game, Ayton revealed that the Blazers tried to rattle him all night with trash talk, led by forward Deni […]

Deandre Ayton is about as far as a fan favorite as one can get in his previous stops. The Phoenix Suns shipped him out for depth pieces. The Portland Trail Blazers decided that buying him out was worth it. And through his first game or so as a member of his newest team, the Los […]

LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Lakers were able to get into the win column on Friday night after defeating the Minnesota Timberwolves, 128-110. While much of the postgame focus was on Luka Doncic’s franchise record-setting night, a huge part of the win was the increased aggressiveness of Deandre Ayton, especially in the second half […]

The Los Angeles Lakers are still finding chemistry with the new players on their team, and it looks like things are coming along easily. For Deandre Ayton, he has some familiar faces that he knows on the team, one of whom includes Rui Hachimura from some time ago. Hachimura recently spoke about his bond with […]

The Los Angeles Lakers added Deandre Ayton this past offseason. Ayton endured an underwhelming Lakers debut, but there is potential for him in LA if he can develop chemistry with Luka Doncic. Doncic understands what it takes to find the roll man in the pick-and-roll, so the duo could be quite dangerous if they get […]

Los Angeles Lakers center DeAndre Ayton’s debut fell short of expectations, with the center managing just 10 points and six rebounds in a 119-109 loss to the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday night. His quiet performance immediately drew criticism from Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal. O’Neal didn’t hold back in his message to Ayton. “Listen, […]

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 […]