Lakers fans just learned a frustrating Deandre Ayton lesson in record time

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Los Angeles Lakers Media Day
Los Angeles Lakers Media Day | Ronald Martinez/GettyImages

Los Angeles Lakers fans were giddy about the addition of Deandre Ayton this summer. It's hard to blame them for that — Ayton, despite all his flaws, is still a massive upgrade at center for the Lakers. But Lakers fans were confronted with those shortcomings a lot quicker than they hoped; in Ayton's first game with the Lakers, he was the same talented, infuriating player he was for the Blazers.

In 35 minutes, Ayton scored 10 points and grabbed 6 rebounds, but as Blazers fans know well, the box score seldom represents how well or poorly Ayton played in a game. There were multiple times when Ayton turned the ball over when there was no reason to, he avoided contact all night long, he was a non-factor on the defensive end, and there were really no moments that stood out as impactful for him in the Lakers loss.

So while he'll still prove to be an upgrade at center, Lakers fans will shockingly come to the same conclusion Blazers fans (and Suns fans before them) came to.

Lakers fans turned on Deandre Ayton in less than one game

Yes, Ayton is supremely talented. We know this to be true. He was the No. 1 pick for a reason. But we also mustn't forget that he was cut by the Blazers for a 20 year-old who no one thought would be a first-round draft pick. So the celebrations from Lakers fans always felt a little premature.

And those fans got a bit of a rude awakening on Tuesday. They didn't take it very well. Lakers fans everywhere seem to have turned on Ayton in record time, instantly growing frustrated with the same tendencies that Blazers fans were happy to rid themselves of when the team waived Ayton in the offseason. Granted, this game was played without LeBron James, so Ayton's role should shrink when he's back in the rotation; but in the meantime, Ayton has already put himself in a hole with fans and will have some serious work to dig himself out.

I don't think Blazers fans are cheering against Deandre Ayton; the people of the PNW aren't that bitter, and I think most fans are ready to embrace the new, young center rotation instead of thinking about a former player. But it's hard to resist the urge of saying, "Yeah, we told you so," to Lakers fans who are finding out the Ayton experience is seldom fun.

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