Deandre Ayton’s Missed Opportunity to Shine with the Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers have just made a significant move to eliminate a major concern.

The issue stood at seven feet tall and tipped the scales at 250 pounds, serving as a notable distraction in the team’s locker room.

Goodbye, Deandre Ayton. The Lakers traded him to the Washington Wizards on Friday, receiving Jaden Hardy and two future second-round choices in 2031 and 2032 in return.

Ayton joined the Lakers as a free agent, aiming to revive a career marred by previous stints in Phoenix and Portland that had left his reputation severely damaged.

Once the celebrated top pick of the 2018 NBA Draft, chosen by the Phoenix Suns ahead of stars like Luka Doncic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Ayton’s career instead saw a decline. His first seven years in the league were plagued with perceptions of inconsistency and immaturity from both franchises he played for, effectively branding him with a stigma he struggled to shake off.

When Ayton signed with the Lakers in free agency last summer, he had a golden opportunity to start over. 
No one in the NBA gets more attention than the 17-time NBA champions, especially when a guy named LeBron James is on the roster. 

This was his chance to rewrite his narrative. 

Careers are defined by the Lakers. One great stint in Los Angeles can wash away all of the dirt of the past. Look at how Marcus Smart redefined himself this season after his career was in a freefall. Look at how Luke Kennard’s stock skyrocketed after a great first-round playoff series with the purple and gold. 

Ayton was well aware of the power of the Lakers. 

“I feel like I’ve just been absent for a little bit in this league,” Ayton said during his introductory press conference with the Lakers last July. “…I want to really just show the world and prove to everybody that I am a winner.”

The problem?

The same issues reared their ugly head in Los Angeles as the ones that inspired Phoenix to trade him in 2023 and Portland to buy out his contract for nothing in return last summer.

Ayton is talented. 

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But his effort flickers like the light of a candle.

He’s prickly with the media. He has outbursts in the locker room. He’s wildly unpredictable. Sometimes he’ll lightheartedly do somersaults around reporters. Sometimes he’ll snap at them. 

At first, Ayton struggled to embrace his role with the Lakers. He wanted to be a star but the team needed him to star in his role. There was a palpable power struggle.

He responded to the tension in the worst way possible. 

He’d often disengage on the court. 

Ironically, never was that more clear than after he shined in a 21-point, 13-rebound performance against the Magic on Feb. 24. As Ayton walked toward the shower after talking to the media, he let it be known that he felt pigeonholed. 

“They’re trying to make me Clint Capela,” he said, referring to the Houston Rockets’ backup center. “I’m not no Clint Capela.” 

Instead of celebrating the moment, he got in his own way. Instead of proving himself, he shot himself in the foot. 

The problem with Ayton is sometimes he plays with force. Other times, he goes through the motions. The difference is stark. It’s obvious to the naked eye. To both high-paid scouts and fans alike.

While a shooter’s slumps can be forgiven, Ayton’s issues were correlated to effort. To something he could control. To something that was inexcusable to let ebb and flow when he was getting paid millions of dollars and representing the Lakers.

Effort is the bare minimum. It’s a requisite. It’s a non-negotiable. 

Ayton let it come and go like a feral cat. 

He locked in during the Lakers’ 16-2 run last spring. During that period, he was consistent. He was a difference-maker.  

“Felt like I picked up my energy and my focus,” Ayton said March 12. “And, you know, I finally caught up with the team. That’s about it.”

But the playoffs were his ultimate test. 

And he failed. 

The Lakers desperately needed Ayton to be at his best, especially considering Luke Doncic was sidelined the entire postseason because of a hamstring injury and Austin Reaves missed the first four games of the Lakers’ first-round series against the Rockets because of a strained oblique. 

But Ayton was inconsistent. 

At times he shined, like when he had a 19-point and 10-rebound performance against the Rockets in Game 4 followed by an 18-point and 17-rebound performance in Game 5. 

But when the Lakers needed him the most, he had a disappearing act. 

Against the Thunder and their monstrous frontcourt, he shriveled. 

Ayton averaged just 7.2 points and 7.7 rebounds as the Lakers were swept out of the playoffs. His defense was lackluster. He was a liability on the court. 

For the Lakers, enough was enough. 

It was time for Ayton to go. 

He had his chance to turn things around. He had the opportunity to rehabilitate his name. All he had to do was try. All he had to do was pour out his heart onto the court when they needed him most. All his other antics could be forgiven. 

But instead of digging his heels into the ground, he collapsed onto his knees. 

Now he has been shipped to Washington, the equivalent of basketball Siberia considering the franchise has missed the playoffs seven of the last eight seasons. 

And all he has to blame is himself. 

Ayton had his chance. 

And he blew it.