NBA insider Zach Lowe slammed Deandre Ayton’s development, calling him a “lump of clay” and criticizing his lack of growth since entering the league. While Ayton provides scoring and rebounds for the Lakers, Lowe says he remains a “jack of all trades, master of none” and hasn’t improved his offensive game.
Deandre Ayton has been the Los Angeles Lakers main option at center this season, stepping in after Anthony Davis was traded to Dallas Mavericks last February.
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Before Ayton arrived, Los Angeles relied on Jaxson Hayes, a backup who could give 15-18 minutes of solid play at the 5.
While Ayton provides scoring and rebounds, not everyone is impressed with his growth. NBA insider Zach Lowe was especially critical on Monday’s episode of The Zach Lowe Show.
"I want to say something about Ayton, 'cause I told you before the season this would work," Lowe said. "And I said it's gonna work. And I said, 'I don't mean "Dominayton," I don't mean All-Star game, I mean 16 (points) and eight (rebounds), solid defense, finish at the rim. He's averaging 14 and eight and shooting 68%, and I'm here to tell you that it sounds like he's hitting the benchmarks I assigned to 'it works status,' it ain't working. Defensively, he hasn't been good enough. Offensively, there are too many nights where he's an 8.5 rebound afterthought."
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Lowe also questioned Ayton’s development over the years, pointing out that despite entering the league as a highly touted No. 1 overall pick, he has failed to significantly improve any part of his offensive game.
"How is it possible that a 19-year-old jack of all trades, master of none is now a 27-year-old jack of all trades, master of none? He hasn't gotten better at a single part of his offensive game."
The NBA insider didn’t hold back on his disappointment, comparing Ayton to unfinished potential.
"It's so disappointing that this guy, who looked like this lump of clay that a team could mold any way they wanted, is just a lump of clay at the end offensively."
Despite the criticism, Ayton is still a key piece for the Lakers. As the team’s fourth scoring option, he averages 13.9 points on 69.7% shooting, 8.3 rebounds, 0.8 steals, and one block in 29.3 minutes per game.
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