In theory, fans of the Los Angeles Lakers should be thrilled that the team managed to acquire a center of Deandre Ayton’s caliber without having to pay him a whole lot or give up assets in a trade for him. The Lakers are set to pay Ayton just over $8 million this coming season, and he’s been a consistent double-double threat throughout his career.
Ayton has averaged 16.4 points and 10.5 rebounds per game for his NBA career so far. However, a player’s full impact can’t be measured solely by per-game stats, and there exist reasonable concerns about Ayton’s effort and desire to truly be great at the highest level.
Former NBA big man Channing Frye had a cup of coffee with the iconic Lakers franchise when he played nine games for the team in the 2017-18 campaign, and he’s worried that the Ayton experiment in Los Angeles could turn ugly if the newcomer doesn’t adopt the right mindset.
“Players fall in love with being famous more than winning in L.A., okay?” Frye said. “So, if you don’t have that motor, that sickness to be great in a place like L.A., right, you are going to start, ‘Well, it wasn’t my fault,’ or, ‘It wasn’t this.’
“You stop getting on that grind, and then you’re playing with Luka [Doncic], and then you’re playing with Bron (LeBron James). So, now you’re even more famous for doing nothing. You could do nothing and be famous. So, if he’s not ready to commit to the unfamous stuff, it’s gonna get ugly.”
Frye added more.
“So, I’m not saying he can’t do it,” Frye said. “I’m saying you keep showing me you’re inconsistent, and now that you just get to go somewhere else, I’m just supposed to believe what you say? So, show me, and then I’ll give you all the credit in the world because I know that it’s there.
“You’ve averaged a double-double, and — and I’m not gonna say you’re not trying — you average a double-double, and I don’t know if every game you’re fully committed. You are just so f—— talented, the ball comes to you, and you’re just like, ‘Oh, there we go, 17 and 15, okay.’ I wish, you know?
“It’s crazy. So, if he does it, they’re gonna be nasty. If he doesn’t, it’s gonna be real nasty for him quickly.”
While there are plenty of question marks surrounding Ayton, at the very least, he is a very clear talent upgrade over Jaxson Hayes, the big man who started plenty of games for the Lakers last season after they moved Anthony Davis in the Doncic deal.
Hayes was practically unplayable for the Lakers in their first-round series in the 2025 NBA Playoffs against the Minnesota Timberwolves. He logged four starts in that series but averaged just 7.8 minutes of playing time per contest and didn’t play in Game 5.
Ayton has proven that he can be a key contributor on a title contender when he’s locked in as well. He averaged a double-double across 22 games played in the 2021 NBA Playoffs for a Phoenix Suns team that came up just two wins short of a title.
The Suns had a 2-0 lead over Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks in that year’s championship series but proceeded to drop every one of the next four contests.