On an episode of The Hoop Collective, ESPN's Tim MacMahon essentially described Deandre Ayton's new situation with the Los Angeles Lakers as a boom-or-bust scenario.
"Deandre Ayton will either be a long-term piece, or a short-term circus fire. ... The guy's talented, there's no question about his talent. Is he going to do all the things he needs to do to help the Lakers win? If he does, I could see him being ... starting center for years to come," MacMahon said.
Taking on Ayton is a gamble that's either bound to pay off huge or something that will blow up in spectacular fireworks, especially given the Los Angeles spotlight playing alongside Luka Doncic and LeBron James. Ayton is someone who ideally needs to be entering a winning situation to contribute to that winning. If not, as we saw in Phoenix and most recently Portland, things can go south quickly.
Deandre Ayton must be put in the ideal situation to succeed
Ayton was expected to be a key piece in the Portland Trail Blazers' blockbuster Damian Lillard trade. Portland was hoping that a change of scenery would help unlock the ceiling of a former No. 1 overall pick. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case, as Ayton's two seasons in Portland were largely underwhelming.
Ayton would still benefit from a change of scenery, but it turned out that the rebuilding Blazers weren't the ideal situation for him. Last season resulted in a career low in points (14.4). There were also multiple games where Ayton frustratingly didn't seem to buy into the idea of exerting all of his energy in order to help his team win the game. One notable instance was in Portland's 141-99 blowout loss to the Utah Jazz (of all teams), when Chauncey Billups pulled Ayton after playing just two minutes in the second half. Billups later explained that he pulled Ayton because he "didn't like his spirit in the game."
Ayton's personality is largely misunderstood. Some perceive him as a locker room problem or a headache to have around, which doesn't appear to be the case. However, that contagious personality also translates to the court; that's where he can be an issue and negatively impact the entire team.
Blazers fans saw firsthand what happens when things aren't going Ayton's way. It's even more frustrating because we also see the raw talent that made him a No. 1 overall pick in the first place. He's a double-double machine, but a machine that needs to be in the right situation. The flow of the game too often dictates Ayton's motor, which became problematic for a Blazers team that combined for 107 losses during his two-year stint.
Hopefully, things go better in Los Angeles. If he can't figure things out with two of the best players and passers in the game, the conversation should shift from optimizing Ayton's situation to accepting that this is simply who he is as a player. With recent first-round picks Donovan Clingan and Yang Hansen now on the roster, the Blazers were wise to buy out Ayton and let someone else try to figure that out.