DeMarcus Cousins criticized Deandre Ayton after the Los Angeles Lakers loss to the San Antonio Spurs, calling out his complaints about not getting enough touches and urging him to accept his role. Cousins said Ayton was not signed to be a scorer and should focus on rebounding, effort, and playing within a star-led offense.
Former NBA All-Star DeMarcus Cousins did not hold back when reacting to Deandre Ayton comments after the Los Angeles Lakers loss to the San Antonio Spurs. Ayton showed frustration about not getting enough touches, and Cousins believes that mindset is part of the problem.
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Speaking on Run It Back, Cousins sent a clear message to the Lakers center, saying that complaining will not help his place in the league.
“Stop complaining, the whining,” he said. “That’s what kind of puts you in this situation where you are now in your career.”
Cousins explained that Ayton is no longer viewed as a player teams want to build offense around. In his view, Ayton's role is not about post-ups or isolation plays on the block.
“You have to realize no team in the NBA is signing you to be a scorer,” Cousins said. “They’re not gonna drop the ball down there. No iso on you on the block.”
Instead, Cousins pointed to effort plays as the key to Ayton's success. He stressed that rebounding and activity around the rim are the best ways for Ayton to raise his value and get more shot attempts.
“If you wanna go get more shot attempts, pick up the effort on the boards,” he explained. “There’s not a big that’s more athletic, more mobile in this league to where you can’t go get five, six offensive rebounds a game.”
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So far this season, Ayton is averaging 14.2 points and 8.5 rebounds while shooting an efficient 68.9 percent from the field. He has started all 31 games he has played and is logging close to 30 minutes per night as the Lakers' main center.
Still, Cousins believes Ayton must fully accept his role in an offense led by stars. With Luka Doncic and LeBron James controlling the ball, opportunities in the post will be limited.
“As far as getting dumped down post, that’s just not happening, man,” Cousins said. “That’s not who you are as a player, and that’s why the Lakers signed you.”
The comments came after a 107-91 loss to the Spurs, a game where Los Angeles struggled on both ends. The Lakers shot just 40 percent from the field and were beaten on the glass, limiting Ayton's impact inside.
Cousins ended his take with simple advice for the former number one pick as he looks to stay effective in the league.
“The quicker you get over that, the one more thing you should do is just stay quiet and play,” he concluded.
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