Deandre Ayton and his time with the Los Angeles Lakers had a rocky start, but now it looks like the big man is turning things around at the right time.
After being frustrated early on with his offensive role, Ayton changed his mindset and it paid off. As the Lakers' momentum builds, the former No. 1 overall pick is getting down to the dirty work of fueling winning basketball games.
Ayton admitted that a period of self-reflection changed everything.
“That's the truth. That's the absolute truth,” he told The Athletic's Dan Voick. “But I, I scratched it, I took it out. I said … when it comes to scoring, we don't need that. We need you to put the energy you have into offense and defense.
“I started looking in the mirror and saying 'Yo, man, … you're not like that. You don't have to do that at all on this team. This team, you're here to fight hard, rebound the ball. Run the floor as hard as you can, let the big guys make plays, let the superstars make plays.
“I'm enjoying it, I'm not going to lie.”
The shift coincided with a strong performance for the Lakers, with Ayton impacting the game through rebounding, rim protection and energy, areas that don't always show up in the statistics but are crucial at a high level.
He also acknowledged that other players on the roster have reached that level of urgency and he's playing catch-up as the playoffs approach.
“JJ has been instilling in us that this is a playoff atmosphere and we are fighting for a playoff spot,” Ayton said. “You can tell LeBron is locked in, Luka — everyone is totally locked in, and I'm just tired of being the odd one out. I think I told the media the other day, I'm the only one who's finally caught up.”
“The team was always there; it was just me.”
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