The Portland Trail Blazers bought out Deandre Ayton this offseason, wisely clearing the path for Donovan Clingan to start. That set the stage for the desperate Los Angeles Lakers to find their potential center solution in Ayton.
While Ayton has been servicable in a starting role, he's also not their long-term answer or an ideal pairing with superstar Luka Doncic going forward. From that standpoint, the better option Los Angeles should've pursued is Robert Williams III.
Williams is exactly what the Lakers actually needed in terms of providing Doncic with a pick-and-roll partner and that legitimate lob threat he loves to have at his disposal, as evidenced during his time in Dallas.
Robert Williams III is who the Lakers needed
Williams, a former All-Defensive Second Team member in 2022, is also much better defensively than Ayton. This season, Williams' defensive rating of 110.1 is second best on the Blazers roster, behind only Matisse Thybulle. He's averaging only 14.3 minutes per game, but when he's on the court, he looks like the same Boston Celtics version of the player they envisioned when he was a key piece in the (first) Jrue Holiday trade.
The Lakers have championship aspirations with their star trio of Doncic, LeBron James, and Austin Reaves, but come playoff time, they are fighting an uphill battle with a trio of stars who can't defend effectively. Even James is showing signs that Father Time is finally catching up to him, becoming more of a defensive liability as he loses a step on the perimeter.
Williams is the two-way center the Lakers needed to plug these glaring roster holes. He's not the scorer Ayton is, but they don't need more scorers with such an offensive-minded backcourt, especially with Reaves taking another leap this year.
Another overlooked difference between the two centers, which Josh Cornelissen of Lake Show Life recently pointed out, is consistency.
"Ayton is continually doing great things and terrible things while on the court; Williams is merely solid at all times. Despite playing a third of the minutes, Williams has more blocks than Ayton this season. His block rate triples Ayton's. Defensive Box Plus-Minus rates Williams well above average at +2.0; Ayton is underwater at -1.1," Cornelissen writes.
Cornelissen adds that while Williams isn't playing the same role as Ayton, Time Lord is accomplishing much more in those limited stretches. Outside of scoring, Williams is contributing more than Ayton in overlooked aspects of what it takes to actually win you games.
"Rebound rate? Williams wins. Turnover rate? Williams wins in a landslide; Ayton has 36 turnovers on the season compared to only four for Williams. Steal rate. Assist rate. It's all Williams. He plays a smaller role, but he is thriving in that role; Ayton is floundering in his."
Williams was previously linked to the Lakers, who ultimately pursued Portland's other center. In retrospect, they'd likely want to have this one back.
Williams is now on an expiring contract, and the expectation is that Portland is more willing to move on from him this time around, especially after investing consecutive first-round picks at the position. Could the Lakers still pursue Ayton's former teammate?
They should, because Ayton is not the long-term solution they need to contend in the Doncic era.