The LA Lakers have made a lot of noise in their recent free agency moves in the offseason.
LeBron James’ decision to opt in in the final year of his La Lakers contract was the most headlined.
Separately, the Lakers also acquired two talented players, Jake Laravia and DeAndre Ayton.
While both Laravia and Ayton have expressed plans for next season, NBA experts have analysed what they can contribute to the Lakers.
Ayton’s addition was criticised by Kendrick Perkins, but another NBA expert has praised his abilities and past performances.
Ayton spent two years as part of the Portland Trail Blazers before moving to the Lakers in free agency this offseason.
He averaged 16.7 points and 11.1 RPG in his first season, but was soaked in 14.4 ppg and 10.2 RPG in his second year.
The 26-year-old didn’t want to be in Portland as there were reports that he had lost practice and was late for his flight.
But McIntyre said despite all his attitude, Ayton should provide good numbers and bring a lot of excitement among Lakers fans.
He states:
“This is how much he hated Ayton in Portland, and he confiscated $10 million to get out of town.
“Let’s say Deandre Ayton is kind of a top eight center in the league throughout his first seven seasons. Look at these stats. Look at 15, 10 and 50% of filming over the past seven seasons.
“Jokic has an MVP, Giannis has an MVP, Ad’s All-NBA, Joel Embiid has an MVP. All of these are great players. Deandre Ayton is in that class.
Ayton enjoyed the best year of his career when Chris Paul was a Phoenix teammate.
Over the course of two years he played for CP3, with Ayton averaging 14.4 ppg and 17.2 ppg, respectively.
He was a threat to Rob, making life difficult to resist his defenders with his offensive glow.
As he joins the Lakers, Ayton plays with LeBron James and Luka Donsic. He is undoubtedly two of the greatest passersby in the NBA.
James and Donsic are excellent along with players who can catch the Robs. This is something Ayton has proven in the past.
| season | point | rebound | Field goal percentage |
| 2024-25 | 14.4 | 10.2 | 56.6% |
| 2023-24 | 16.7 | 11.1 | 57% |
| 2022-23 | 18 | 10 | 58.8% |
| 2021-22 | 17.2 | 10.2 | 63.4% |
He has already expressed his excitement at his introductory press conference to team up with Donsic.
The Lakers also struggled on the board last season, with Ayton being the one who averaged 10 rebounds in his career.
He improves paint attacks and also threatens the board.
Jaxson Hayes and Ayton are neither reliable at the edge of the floor, so the Lakers still need to add more defence to their center position.
Despite his defensive shortcomings, Ayton is a great signing for the Lakers as he is able to contribute aggressively and consistently with the double-double, something his team has lacked since Anthony Davis’ departure.