The Los Angeles Lakers signed Deandre Ayton in hopes of bringing the best out of the talented big man, but it will take Luka Doncic convincing him to buy into the superstar’s pick-and-roll mastery. Number 77 is the best playmaker out of ball screens in the world, and he loves setting up big men to dunk. Ayton has arguably the best roll man tool set in the NBA but has not totally bought in on being an elite option.
Ayton was bought out by the Blazers and dumped by the Suns. There are plenty of reasons for skepticism, but the 26-year-old said all the right things in his introductory press conference. Ayton should be motivated in a contract year, and fans have seen him play a key role on a team that reached NBA Finals before.
Ayton had 4.0 possessions per game as a roll man last season, which was tied for the fifth-most in the NBA. He scored 1.13 points per possession of those attempts, which was better than Joel Embiid, Alperen Sengun, Bam Adebayo, and many others. It may go into the elite 1.25 range with Luka feeding the big man.
Luka must convince Ayton to roll hard to the rim to make the Lakers unstoppable
Ayton loves to short roll into his floater or take a mid-range jumper. 58.7 percent of his field goal attempts came from three feet to the 3-point line with 31.8 percent being in the mid-range. Ayton shot 82.0 percent inside three feet last season and figures to put up similar numbers as Luka, LeBron James, and Austin Reaves draw defenders away. The seven-footer had just 71 dunks last season, and the Lakers would love for him to double that number.
Ayton doesn’t need to post up or work into his mid-range game. The Lakers have arguably the best group of on-ball creators in the league. The big man should be looking to clean up misses, roll for dunks, and make smart cuts. Ayton could average 15 to 18 points per game just off putbacks, rolls, and dunks. That is the ideal role that the 26-year-old must buy into.
If Ayton is dunking everything, the Lakers will be impossible to defend. Luka is arguably the best scorer in the NBA. LeBron James and Austin Reaves are both capable of dropping 20 every night. Add in Ayton controlling the paint and forcing defenders to protect the rim would leave zero way to stop LA. They will pick teams apart and force them to make impossible decisions.
Luka and LeBron are two of the best processors in the NBA. They will find open teammates and feast off easy buckets. Ayton could take that to another level by locking in and following the plan. Having him roll hard to the rim and clean up misses would be nearly impossible to stop.
There will be bumps with Deandre Ayton, and fans will see why the Suns and Blazers gave up on him. It is on Ayton to limit those moments and maximize the positive ones. He is in the ideal situation. Ayton desperately needs this to go well to avoid being a minimum-contract player for the rest of his career. He must make it happen.
The Los Angeles Lakers got Luka Doncic his lob threat, but it will take some convincing from the superstar to ensure Ayton is always in the right position. This could be a dynamic duo or an epic flop. The blueprint is there for Ayton, but he must buy in. It will be a question for Lakers fans until it happens.
