Tim Legoler believes he signed Luka Donsic to help La Lakers come back to trouble him.
Luka Doncic has proven to be far more valuable than the Los Angeles Lakers imagined. Donsic didn’t offer high returns right away, but this offseason proved he could be a glue guy.
The LA Lakers knew they had to come in this offseason and make changes to their roster. But few people would have expected Donsic to play such an important role in it.
Luka Doncic helped bring his friend Deandre Ayton to the Lakers. Knowing how well Luka is with the big guy, landing friends and players like Ayton is a huge boost for both him and the Lakers.
But he didn’t stop immediately. Doncic also helped bring Marcus Smart to the Lakers, adding to the defensive depth next season.
The Lakers rely on Donsic for the role of Proto GM this offseason. However, Tim Legoler believes that one of his recruiting drives will backfire next season.
Tim Legler recently spoke on the All-NBA podcast about the future of many NBA teams. When talking about La Lakers, he presented a nightmare scenario.
Legler nurtured the issues of DeAndre Ayton’s previous attitude in court, questioning whether these issues could cause appropriate issues in Los Angeles.
“I’m not saying that it will happen. I’m just giving you a ‘what if’ scenario that could tilt it in that direction. If they’re totally unhappy with DeAndre Ayton, then he doesn’t fit at all?
“He’s a guy who needs basketball. He’s not a guy on screen dives. He was miserable in his career when he was asked to do it.
“He’s a guy who’s a talented offensive player, so he wants a touch. He wants a low-post touch. He wants an elbow touch to pick and pop. He wants to be included.
Legler added that given the ball-dominant nature of LeBron James and Luca Donsic, Ayton may not enjoy the controls and possessions he normally likes.
“How much is he included to the extent that Luka Donsic and LeBron James control the ball, and they are both happy passersby, but do they control the ball while they own it?
“They eat the clock with how much they have the ball. So if you’re missing the ball for the Lakers, you need to make a quicker decision.
“And he may be a bad fit because he doesn’t know it’s DeAndre Ayton. They may be miserable for the guy. That could be a problem for them.”
This is a considerable concern given Ayton’s previous behavioral issues. But we need to imagine Ayton knows this might be his last chance to play for a big team.
Ayton should do his best to adapt to the Lakers. Whatever role they require him, he should fulfill that role to the fullest of his abilities.