When information broke that DeAndre Ayton was signing with the Los Angeles Lakers, it elicited a spread of reactions from across the Affiliation.
Some have been excited to see the Lakers land a reputable heart, one with No. 1 total choose pedigree no much less, after watching the workforce get brutalized within the paint by the supersized Minnesota Timberwolves within the playoffs. And others? Effectively, they questioned if Ayton actually had the drive, want, or fortitude to turn into the participant the Phoenix Suns envisioned after they drafted him first total in 2018 over gamers like Luka Doncic and Trae Younger.
Whereas it is smart that some followers can be hesitant about going all in on Ayton fandom earlier than he even took the courtroom in a purple and yellow jersey, particularly after Jason Fast highlighted his unpopularity throughout the Portland group for The Athletic, to his credit score, the Bahamian heart had his head in the proper place throughout his introductory press convention with reporters.
“We need to win a championship proper now,” Ayton declared by way of ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.
Now granted, can just about anybody make such a declaration in July, when video games are nonetheless months away and there is a lengthy sufficient runway to spin a story earlier than the dwell bullets begin to fly? Most actually; only a few free brokers have something unhealthy to say about their new groups, and Ayton did not buck that development upon his arrival in LA.
Nonetheless, there are causes to consider that possibly Ayton actually is devoted to defining this subsequent chapter of his NBA profession himself, as he reportedly requested for a buyout from the Path Blazers in an effort to stake his declare on a contender as an alternative of spending one other 12 months on a dropping workforce with an enormous man logjam.
Will Ayton be the lacking piece within the Lakers’ frontcourt? Will he be capable to set screens for Austin Reaves, house the ground for LeBron James, and slam down alley-oops for Luka Doncic as a lunchpail participant prepared to do the soiled work? Solely time will inform, however proper now, he is actually saying all the proper issues for followers to get excited in regards to the fall, which is the primary field he wanted to examine in that pursuit.