Deandre Ayton Calls Luka Doncic 'Super Ripped,' 'Glad to Be on His Side' with Lakers

Deandre Ayton and Luka Dončić were the Nos. 1 and 3 picks in the 2018 NBA draft for the Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks, respectively. Now they are teammates on the Los Angeles Lakers.

And Ayton is pretty excited about it:

In theory, they should be a good pair, with Ayton providing Dončić with the sort of lob threat in the pick-and-roll that he prefers. Granted, Ayton was a disappointment in his two seasons in Portland, so there are questions about what he'll bring to the table for his new team.

"It fuels me. It fuels me up completely," Ayton told reporters of the criticisms he's faced from his time in Portland. "And it's a different type of drive that I've been wanting to express for a long time. I think this is the perfect timing, here in the purple and gold. And it's a platform I cannot run from. I can show what I really am and just be around some greats to really emphasize that for me as well. It is a lot of fuel in me to prove to the whole world."

If he proves himself in Los Angeles, the Lakers should have themselves a strong inside-out duo.