Deandre Ayton has wanted to showcase his talents on the big stage, and he'll get the opportunity to do so with the Los Angeles Lakers.
"I'm somewhere where it counts now," Ayton said at Lakers media day. "And I'm happy that everybody gets to see it. I'm happy where, as a player, as myself, I get a chance to prove something big on a big stage."
Deandre Ayton faces prove-it season under Lakers spotlight
The Ayton experiment didn't go according to plan in Portland. He's in his prime at 27 years old, yet is coming off a career low in points per game (14.4) with the Blazers. Part of that can be attributed to Portland's lack of playmaking, which should be apparent when Ayton finally gets to play alongside Luka Doncic and LeBron James, two of the best passers ever to do it. Still, the issue went far beyond playmaking, as Ayton didn't appear to be consistently engaged.
That led to a frustrating two seasons for Blazers fans. Ayton's talent is undeniable, but you always get the sense that he doesn't want to be in Portland, at least in terms of his on-court body language, which leads to inconsistent production.
Ayton was already under the spotlight when he played with the Phoenix Suns, playing a key role in their 2021 NBA Finals run. He averaged 14.7 points, 12.0 rebounds, and 1.8 assists in those six games against Milwaukee, so he didn't necessarily take his game to another level when it mattered most. But perhaps this time is different under the spotlight of Los Angeles.
There's nowhere for Ayton to hide, and it will be hard for him to blame his environment if things don't pan out this time around. This season is essentially a sink-or-swim situation for the Arizona product, and we can see it going to either extreme. But given the Lakers' dire need for a center and the relatively low cost to acquire a starting-caliber one in Ayton, it was at least worth Los Angeles taking a chance to see if he can benefit from this change of scenery that he's clearly excited about.
There's a realistic scenario where this turns out to be Ayton's best season, considering the spotlight, playmakers, and lack of center options behind him on the depth chart. But even if that is the case, Portland shouldn't regret buying him out.
The two seasons were a large enough sample size to know that this experiment wasn't ideal for either involved party, and Portland was wise to pivot when they had a chance. They now get off $10 million of Ayton's salary for next season while also clearing the path for Donovan Clingan and rookie Yang Hansen, who's already proving he deserves an immediate role in the rotation.