Deserved or not, Los Angeles Lakers center Deandre Ayton doesn’t exactly have the greatest reputation around the league. While his talent is undeniable, his effort and desire to truly be a great player have been called into question many times since he was drafted by the Phoenix Suns with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft.
Following a standout showing against the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday that saw him total 20 points on 9-of-13 shooting from the field to go along with 10 rebounds, he opened up about the state of his NBA career and his reputation.
“I’m going to say some real-a– s—,” he told The Athletic.
Ayton spoke about the idea that this could be his last chance to prove himself in the NBA.
“They say if this s— don’t work out for me, this is my last year,” he said. “Everybody and they mama have been saying that.”
Then, after doing some yelling, Ayton admitted that he generally keeps his anger bottled up inside of him.
“I keep my anger to myself,” he said.
But in the end, Ayton echoed a message that the Lakers have been trying to communicate to him.
“Love who love you,” he said. “That’s it. Love who love you.”
All in all, Ayton’s maiden season in Los Angeles has been a success up to this point. He’s suited up in all but one of the Lakers’ 14 games played and is averaging 16.2 points while shooting a career-high 69.2 percent from the field coupled with 8.4 rebounds per game. He has already had five games with 20-plus points and 10-plus rebounds for the Lakers as well.
The play of Ayton is a key reason why the Lakers have been one of the best teams in the West this season even sans star forward LeBron James, who hasn’t made his season debut yet.
James, the NBA’s oldest active player, is dealing with a sciatica injury, yet the Lakers have won 10 of their opening 14 games of the campaign with him working toward a return. Only the Oklahoma City Thunder, Denver Nuggets and Houston Rockets are ahead of L.A. in the Western Conference standings.
With Ayton playing well and James nearing a return, there are plenty of reasons for the Lakers to be optimistic about their season.