LOS ANGELES – After losing in the playoffs in five games against the Wolves, it was clear the Lakers needed an upgrade at the center position.
The franchise viewed Deandre Ayton as a solution to their frontcourt problem and signed him in the offseason. But could he live up to his potential in LA, or would things be a mixed bag for him like they were in Phoenix and Portland?
Wednesday brought Ayton the ultimate test of his ability, with Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs coming to town. He passed with flying
colors.
The Lakers beat the Spurs 118-116 to extend their winning streak to five games, giving them the second-best record in the Western Conference. His numbers were impressive, scoring 22 points and grabbing 10 rebounds, but the stats don’t tell the whole story.
From the opening tip, Ayton took charge. Despite Wemby being 7’4 and Ayton standing at a flat 7’0, he won the jump at center court and established himself as a force on both sides of the ball.
On LA’s first points of the night, Ayton made the kind of hustle plays that often go unnoticed. He fought for a rebound against Wemby, and while he didn’t succeed in gaining possession, his multiple efforts poked the ball away from the San Antion center.
The ball was eventually grabbed by Marcus Smart, who found Luka Dončić open for a three, which he nailed to put the Lakers on the board.
Ayton was buzzing around the court like a bee and attacking the rim like a bull early on. During the opening half, he disrupted passes, was eager to screen and re-screen, registered a steal and scored 10 points.
While his performance during this marquee matchup was impressive, it was par for the course for how Ayton’s played in a purple and gold uniform all season long.
“He’s had a phenomenal start to the year,” head coach JJ Redick said postgame. “He has embraced his teammates, he’s embracing his role, he’s sacrificed in terms of just being a screener and getting his guys open. He’s finding the spots, he’s just in a really comfortable rhythm right now.”
While Ayton’s game was shining, the Lakers found themselves behind against a top team entering the third quarter. Ayton was near perfect in the game’s following 12 minutes.
He helped control the glass for Los Angeles and took the open looks that made sense, going 3-4 from the field in the third.
Defensively, he maintained constant communication, letting his teammates know his location, when he was taking over a space and when to stay in their positions.
His brightest moment during the third, however, was an offensive play. After a Luka Dončić steal, he converted on a lob dunk to even the score at 72 with 7:32 left in the quarter.
The play wasn’t a momentum shifter, as the contest remained tight the rest of the way. But it let the Spurs and everyone watching know that the Lakers weren’t going to go away quietly. They were ready for the fight.
“That was a defensive stop,” Ayton said. Luka threw the ball and, I just ran with him, honestly. It was a great pass by him, but that’s mainly our point, one through five, we wanted to turn them over.”
The fourth was as physical and chaotic as a regular season game can be. The Lakers rallied back after being down nine to take the lead.
Then they almost gave the game away thanks to a silly mistake from Smart, turning the ball over on a Lakers inbound with 1.2 seconds to go and Jake LaRavia fouling on the Spurs inbound moments later.
Thanks to a Julian Champagnie missed free throw, however, the Lakers secured the victory and the follies can be forgotten.
What should be remembered, though, is how well Ayton performed in this contest.
Wemby is an out-of-this-world player, but on Wednesday night, for nearly three hours, Ayton not only held his own, but got the better of him.
Wemby was generally well contained, scoring 19 points and grabbing eight rebounds. Ayton outproduced the phenom and, more importantly, was on the winning side of this game.
Ayton has always had this potential. That’s why he was drafted No.1 in the 2018 NBA Draft.
However, after a couple of disappointing seasons, people have written him off. Ayton is well aware of this perception and he mentioned wanting to “prove the world wrong” and show who he really is with his play in LA.
With the Lakers now nine games into the season, the sample size is still small, but with each passing day, Ayton is gaining believers.
So far, he’s been a fantastic starting center for the Lakers, who has helped the team begin the season 7-2, their best start since the 2019-20 campaign, when they won the championship.
That Lakers squad also had a center looking for redemption in Dwight Howard. If Ayton keeps it up, he’ll put himself and the Lakers in position to imitate that success come June.
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.
