When Deandre Ayton agreed to a $16 million deal with the Los Angeles Lakers this summer, the reaction across the league was mixed. Some saw it as a reclamation project with a high upside. Others, including ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, believe it might be the former No. 1 overall pick’s final shot at being a relevant starting center in the NBA.
On The Hoop Collective podcast, MacMahon didn’t hold back in assessing Ayton’s situation, pointing out the sense of urgency that has surrounded the big man ever since his underwhelming stint in Portland.
“I think that was the concern from DeAndre Ayton and his agents when they went to Portland. Obviously, Portland was looking to move on from him. It made all the sense in the world for Portland to have phased him out this year and gone with their young bigs.”
“And look, I don’t think Ayton’s a guy who’s great at masking his feelings or preventing his feelings from being evident when he’s on the floor.”
“So if he’s feeling unappreciated, if he’s feeling maybe even disrespected, unwanted, and all those kinds of things and he kind of mopes through a season, then he’s looking at maybe being a minimum guy next year.”
“A scrap heap guy. He’s in a situation now where he has a golden opportunity to restore his value with a franchise that has a glaring need for a long-term solution at that position. And if you are a big guy in the league, you’ve got to get over the post-up stuff.”
“But there’s no better point guard to play with than Luka Doncic.”
“Dereck Lively had more dunks during his rookie season which he missed time with injury, than DeAndre Ayton has had in any year in his career. I mean, all you’ve got to do is roll hard, roll hard, and be willing to clean up the trash, and he’s going to get four dunks a game, plus whatever else.”
“And I think there’ll be opportunities for him to punish switches. Like, his post-ups have to come off of punishing smaller defenders on switches, not thinking, Okay, this is a play call for me. Forget the play call. Let me go post up at the nail and try to operate. That stuff’s got to get scrapped.”
“But he’s got a chance to feast, just thriving as the pick-and-roll partner with Luka Doncic.”
Ayton played 40 games for the Blazers last season and put up solid but unspectacular numbers: 14.4 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 1.5 assists on 56.6% shooting. While those stats are respectable, they didn’t reflect the dominance expected from a player once compared to Joel Embiid and Karl-Anthony Towns coming out of Arizona.
The problem, MacMahon argued, isn’t talent, it’s body language and engagement. That’s what makes this opportunity with the Lakers so crucial.
Now partnered with Luka Doncic in a revamped lineup that no longer revolves around LeBron James, Ayton has a chance to be a focal point not in terms of volume scoring, but as an efficient pick-and-roll threat.
MacMahon noted that Dereck Lively, a rookie two seasons ago with the Mavericks, had more dunks in his injury-shortened year than Ayton has ever logged in a single campaign. That speaks more to mindset and role than ability.
On the Lakers’ side, the confidence in Ayton’s potential is genuine. They missed out on Brook Lopez, Myles Turner, and Clint Capela, but insiders say JJ Redick sees Ayton as someone who can still be molded into a dominant center.
Ayton’s skill set remains enticing: a 7-footer with touch, mobility, and defensive tools. But at 26, he’s running out of chances to prove he’s more than just a talented disappointment.
If it doesn’t work in Los Angeles, it may not work anywhere.
