Hernández: Can Lebron James help Deandre Ayton to turn into a reliable center?
The Lakers found their next starting center and did not have to give up Austin Reaves to land him.
There is a reason why.
However athletic and skilled as Deandre Ayton is for a 7 feet, it is better known at this stage of his career for his deficiencies.
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His exasperating inconsistency. Its unproved defense. His lack of motivation. His inability to remain healthy.
The Blazers center of Portland Trail Deandre Ayton shoots under pressure from the center of Denver Nuggets Nikola Jokic on February 10 in Denver. (David Zalubowski / Associated Press)
If you didn’t like Anthony Davis, Odierai Ayton. Davis was always responsible or at least is not deaf, which is apparently Ayton.
“I had nothing to demonstrate in this championship,” Ayton said once the veteran reporter of the NBA Mark Medina. “I am a maximum player and I will continue to be a maximum player.”
It is not surprising that the Portland Trail blazers officially renounced Ayton during the weekend by purchasing his contract, opening the doors to the Lakers to take him at a deal of deal.
The Lakers are bet that they can do what the blazers of the path and the only of Phoenix before them, they could not.
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They are bet that they can start the engine inside Ayton and keep it roaring.
From a physical and technical point of view, Ayton is able to be the player that Lakers need it to be. However, most athletes who do not already have something burning within them at 26 do not suddenly discover the fire at 27, which is the age of age Ayton will be at the end of this month.
To find out more: The Lakers accept the terms with the former center of Portland Deandre Ayton
That’s why Lakers should be grateful to still have Lebron James.
Who is better to show a chronic undercchiever how to maximize its gifts that a player who is preparing for a record 23? On the contrary, the top scorer of all the time of the NBA cannot inspire Ayton, who or what will he do so?
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40 -year -old James will give Lakers the opportunity to reach Ayton, who, in turn, will give them the opportunity to contend for another championship.
With their current list, the Lakers clearly remain behind the NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, Denver Nugget and Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Lakers belong to the next level of the Western Conference teams, together with the Golden State Warriors and Clippers. It is more or less where they were last season.
Lakers are still looking for shooters. They still have to understand how anyone will stop. They also need Ayton to be more than the player who was in his first seven NBA seasons, also with his respectable career medium of 16.4 points and 10.5 rebounds per game.
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James will guide the example. It will modify the work habits necessary to be a coherent artist. He will show attention to detail that will make Ayton recalibrate as he thinks about the game.
Reaves benefited from his closeness to James. So Rui Hachimura has. Then again, Reaves and Hachimura were open to this guide. Is it Ayton?
Ayton’s 27 -year -old brain might seem like a long shot, but he considers this: Ayton was at his best when he played alongside a strong veteran presence.
Ayton was a third year player alone when they acquired a 35-year-old Chris Paul before the 2020-21 season. With Ayton playing a leading role, the Suns continued to reach the NBA finals, where they lost against the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Phoenix Suns guard Chris Paul, Center, talks to the Deandre Ayton center, left, during a playoff game against the Clippers in April 2023. (Matt York / Associated Press)
The post -stone race offered an example of how Ayton could respond positively to expert leadership, as well as how it could be better deployed on the pitch.
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Mobile Ayton was a dangerous threat to Paul and should be a dangerous threat of the lob to Luka Doncic. Ayton’s ability to break down the mid -range jumpers has spaced the floor for the suns and that ability will undoubtedly be exploited by the coach JJ Radick.
The X and or does not matter if Ayton does not show up to play every evening. Presumably Ayton accepted the acquisition of his contract because he wanted to change the narrative of his career. This is its possibility. He will have a director in Doncic, a team with championship aspirations in the Lakers. Perhaps the most important, he will have a teacher in James.
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.