If there is one firm believer for Deandre Ayton ahead of his 2025-26 campaign with the Los Angeles Lakers, it is Zach Lowe. The national reporter and host of The Zach Lowe Show confidently delivered a statement about how he thought the Ayton experiment would go in Los Angeles.
Lowe said, "I think Ayton's gonna work with the Lakers. That does not mean I think Ayton's gonna be DominAyton, he's gonna be an All-Star, he's gonna average 20 and 10. ... I just think he's going to be a solid citizen. If he's not all-in now, I don't know when he will be."
The show host continued, stating that Ayton will be a solid teammate and buy into what they need him to do. That involved screening, rolling, and playing top tier defense.
Lowe thought Ayton could 'walk into' 16 points and eight rebounds every game in his new environment. There was little doubt for the analyst the gamble would work for the Lakers.
Lakers cannot afford for Deandre Ayton gamble to go bust
Ayton was a calculated risk for a team whose group of centers were dreadful in 2024-25. The elephant in the room with this upgrade is that if the new Lakers big man does not pan out, they are stuck turning to a lot of those same names.
Jaxson Hayes would be the presumed backup at this point in time. Hayes has enjoyed some stretches of competency, but has been lackluster overall for the Lakers during his time in Los Angeles.
Who do the Lakers turn to past that?
Maxi Kleber is well beyond his best days as a quality role player in the NBA. Perhaps, sparingly, Kleber can still find opportunities to be a positive off the bench. However, that is not something the Lakers should be reliant upon.
The man who could quietly creep into the mix is Christian Koloko. The former Toronto Raptors draft pick has a skill set that leans more towards the defensive end with upside as a play finisher and rim runner.
Similarly to Kleber, though, the Lakers should not rely on that. It would be a pleasant discovery to find out Koloko is playable for regular minutes off the bench, but it is far from a sure thing.
The Lakers are stuck in a spot where Ayton needs to both play well, and eat up the lion's share of minutes at the center spot. For the sake of the team's title hopes, everyone with rooting interest will hope Lowe was on the money with his assessment.