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The previous couple of seasons weren't good ones for Deandre Ayton. During the 2023-24 and 2024-25 campaigns, he missed the NBA playoffs as a member of the Portland Trail Blazers, and he was criticized for a number of things, including allegedly selfish behavior and a lack of dedication.
But with the Los Angeles Lakers, he's about to return to the playoffs, and he can play a big role in the first round against the Houston Rockets, who boast a big lineup that includes two-time All-Star center Alperen Sengun. Ayton will be needed to not only be a scoring threat, but also to bang hard on the boards and defend the paint.
Following practice on Wednesday, he made it clear how excited he is for the playoffs to start.
In last year's playoffs, the Lakers got destroyed on the boards by the Minnesota Timberwolves, but they were very weak at the center position at the time. Now, they have Ayton, who has career averages of 15.8 points and 10.1 rebounds a game in the regular season and has put up 15.9 points and 10.5 rebounds per game in three trips to the postseason.
This season, his numbers went down to 12.5 points and eight rebounds per game, but it must be remembered that he was a much less featured player than he was in the past with Portland and the Phoenix Suns. However, as long as Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves are out due to injury, Los Angeles will need to feature Ayton as much as reasonably possible, especially when it has nothing in transition.
Plenty of Lakers fans have been hard on Ayton this season and considered him to be a disappointment. He has the opportunity to reverse that sentiment over the next two weeks or so.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Deandre Ayton is so excited about playoffs he wants 'to do backflips'
Continue reading...
But with the Los Angeles Lakers, he's about to return to the playoffs, and he can play a big role in the first round against the Houston Rockets, who boast a big lineup that includes two-time All-Star center Alperen Sengun. Ayton will be needed to not only be a scoring threat, but also to bang hard on the boards and defend the paint.
Following practice on Wednesday, he made it clear how excited he is for the playoffs to start.
In last year's playoffs, the Lakers got destroyed on the boards by the Minnesota Timberwolves, but they were very weak at the center position at the time. Now, they have Ayton, who has career averages of 15.8 points and 10.1 rebounds a game in the regular season and has put up 15.9 points and 10.5 rebounds per game in three trips to the postseason.
This season, his numbers went down to 12.5 points and eight rebounds per game, but it must be remembered that he was a much less featured player than he was in the past with Portland and the Phoenix Suns. However, as long as Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves are out due to injury, Los Angeles will need to feature Ayton as much as reasonably possible, especially when it has nothing in transition.
Plenty of Lakers fans have been hard on Ayton this season and considered him to be a disappointment. He has the opportunity to reverse that sentiment over the next two weeks or so.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Deandre Ayton is so excited about playoffs he wants 'to do backflips'
Continue reading...
