Deandre Ayton Talks Mindset, Role with Lakers, 'I'm Not Really Here for Numbers'

Deandre Ayton only attempted two shots in his preseason debut with the Los Angeles Lakers, missing both of them, and had four turnovers.

It wasn't exactly a sharp offensive display on his part, with the important caveat that the team's primary playmakers, Luka Dončić and LeBron James, weren't on the court to provide him with easy buckets.

But either way, Ayton wasn't sweating it.

"I wanted to show the team I'm more committed on the defensive end more than the offense in a way," he told reporters. "Like I said from the get go, I'm not really here for numbers. I'm just here for whatever the Lakers really want me to do. And the main objective is really protecting that rim and closing out our possessions. And I had fun, man."

Ayton did block two shots and pulled down eight rebounds, so in that regard his first showing with the Lakers was a success. And it's easy enough to imagine him finishing plenty of Dončić lobs at the rim this season, so better offensive days will come.

The Lakers can lean on Austin Reaves as their third scorer, so they don't necessarily need Ayton to generate consistent offense down on the block. That Ayton seems to understand as much is a good sign going forward.