The Los Angeles Lakers are nonetheless discovering chemistry with the brand new gamers on their workforce, and it appears to be like like issues are coming alongside simply. For Deandre Ayton, he has some acquainted faces that he is aware of on the workforce, certainly one of whom contains Rui Hachimura from a while in the past. Hachimura lately spoke about his bond with Ayton and the place they first met.
“He has an fascinating persona,” Hachimura mentioned. “I really like him already. He’s a personality. I believe me and him are the identical age nearly. I do know him from NBA camp after I was 16, the NBA With out Borders. I used to be with him that yr, so it is humorous to see that it was 10, 12 years in the past, and now we’re teammates.”
“He has an fascinating persona. I really like him already. He’s a personality.” Rui Hachimura on new Lakers heart, Deandre Ayton. Hachimura additionally shared a shaggy dog story about when he first met Ayton at Basketball With out Borders World Camp in Toronto in the course of the 2016 All-Star Weekend. pic.twitter.com/KusLJQRfdq
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) October 24, 2025
It is good that Hachimura and Ayton are constructing one thing off the courtroom, and that ought to make issues simple on the courtroom. Ayton did not have an enormous recreation in his season debut for the Lakers towards the Golden State, however he did what he might to make his presence identified.
Because the season progresses, he ought to be capable to get extra acclimated with the workforce, particularly with gamers equivalent to Luka Doncic, who will probably be feeding him passes for probably the most half within the pick-and-roll and the paint.
Lakers nonetheless determining chemistry with Deandre Ayton
After their loss towards the Warriors, Ayton made an admission that had some followers scratching their heads to begin the season.
“At this time I noticed, I’m in all probability a complicated huge, after I can roll and stand simply within the pocket. It’s in all probability a bit of troublesome for them generally. I’m so used to the league having that low man on me, so generally I can’t even end a roll,” Ayton mentioned through ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.
The pick-and-roll will probably be key for this workforce’s success, and Ayton will probably be concerned in these performs loads. Ayton has a novel skillset the place he can pop and shoot a jumpshot, or he can roll to the basket. As soon as he and the ball handler get on the identical web page, the play ought to change into seamless. Some followers have already grown uninterested in Ayton after simply watching him within the preseason and the primary recreation of the common season, however they’ve to present him a while earlier than making fast judgments.
Issues might get much more complicated when LeBron James returns, as he hasn’t been in a position to play with Ayton in any respect but.