Lakers' Deandre Ayton Called Out by Anonymous NBA Scout in New Report
Criticism has followed Deandre Ayton throughout most of his career, so it's not a surprise that it's happening again as the Los Angeles Lakers have hit a rough patch with four losses in their last six games.
Speaking to ESPN's Dave McMenamin, one Western Conference scout explained that Ayton has "mostly underachieved" in the NBA by the standards of a No. 1 overall pick.
"He picks and chooses when he wants to lock in and play," the West scout added. "Which is not what most dominant centers do."
Ayton, for his part, appears to be at least somewhat frustrated with his role. Despite recording 21 points and 13 rebounds in Tuesday's loss to the Orlando Magic for his first double-double since Jan. 30, Ayton was overheard saying the Lakers were "trying to make me Clint Capela," referring to the Houston Rockets center.
"I'm not no Clint Capela," Ayton added, per McMenamin.
Criticism of Ayton's consistency has been a common refrain when people around the league have discussed him over the course of his eight NBA seasons. The 27-year-old certainly hasn't been a bust with a career average of 16.1 points and 10.3 rebounds per game, but there often seems to be something missing that has frustrated his teams.
Despite being a key player for the Phoenix Suns when they reached the 2021 NBA Finals and had the NBA's best record during the 2021-22 regular season, the club reportedly had reservations about giving him a max extension prior to the start of the 2021-22 season.
Ayton wound up playing out his rookie deal, hit restricted free agency and agreed to a four-year, $133 million offer sheet that the Suns matched to retain him.
The Suns lost in the second round of the 2022 playoffs to the Dallas Mavericks. They lost the final two games in the series by 33 points both times, with Ayton scoring just five points in 17 minutes in the decisive Game 7.
When the Suns traded him to the Portland Trail Blazers as part of a three-team deal that sent Damian Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks in September 2023, one of the things that was discussed was his frequent fluctuation between high-level games and inconsistent performances.
Ayton wound up playing two seasons with the Blazers before receiving a buyout last summer. The Athletic's Jason Quick reported at the time that team officials grew frustrated with Ayton for a variety of reasons, including being late to team flights and practices, skipping rehab appointments and "tantrums in the locker room when he was sidelined for poor effort."
The Lakers signed Ayton to a two-year, $16.2 million deal in free agency. There was some hope that pairing him with Luka Dončić, who can throw lob passes to big men as well as anyone in the NBA, could unlock a new level of Ayton's game.
Instead, this season has looked like most years for Ayton in the NBA. He is averaging 13.2 points and 8.5 rebounds per game in 49 starts for the Lakers.
Ayton's overall impact, though, has been minimal. He is tied with Jake LaRavia for fifth on the Lakers in value over replacement player (0.3). Backup center Jaxson Hayes, who plays nearly 11 fewer minutes per game than Ayton, has been better using the same VORP metric (0.5).
The Lakers (34-23) are currently sixth in the Western Conference standings. They will look to get back on track following back-to-back losses on Thursday when they take on Ayton's former team, the Suns, at Mortgage Matchup Center.
