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Many people feel Deandre Ayton had a disappointing season with the Los Angeles Lakers, even though he played very well at times. In fact, one NBA executive said that Ayton's campaign with the team was a "disaster."
The eight-year veteran and former No. 1 overall pick set career lows in shot attempts a game (8.3), points per game (12.5) and rebounds per game (eight), even though he saw only a minimal drop in his playing time. It's important to remember that in previous years with the Phoenix Suns and Portland Trail Blazers, Ayton was one of the top three scoring options on his team. With Los Angeles this year, he was, at best, fourth in its offensive pecking order.
After the team was swept by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the second round of the playoffs, the center said he had to make sacrifices and that his experience was "very humbling."
He implied that the team asked him to focus less on scoring and more on defense and rebounding in order to help it win.
The 27-year-old has an $8.1 million player option for next season. If he turns it down and leaves, the Lakers could be in a bit of a bind as far as looking for a replacement, let alone an upgrade. They're expected to have as much as roughly $50 million in salary cap space this summer, but at least some of that space could be used to re-sign their own players, including but not limited to LeBron James and Austin Reaves.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Deandre Ayton said he made 'a lot of sacrifices' with Lakers
Continue reading...
The eight-year veteran and former No. 1 overall pick set career lows in shot attempts a game (8.3), points per game (12.5) and rebounds per game (eight), even though he saw only a minimal drop in his playing time. It's important to remember that in previous years with the Phoenix Suns and Portland Trail Blazers, Ayton was one of the top three scoring options on his team. With Los Angeles this year, he was, at best, fourth in its offensive pecking order.
After the team was swept by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the second round of the playoffs, the center said he had to make sacrifices and that his experience was "very humbling."
He implied that the team asked him to focus less on scoring and more on defense and rebounding in order to help it win.
The 27-year-old has an $8.1 million player option for next season. If he turns it down and leaves, the Lakers could be in a bit of a bind as far as looking for a replacement, let alone an upgrade. They're expected to have as much as roughly $50 million in salary cap space this summer, but at least some of that space could be used to re-sign their own players, including but not limited to LeBron James and Austin Reaves.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Deandre Ayton said he made 'a lot of sacrifices' with Lakers
Continue reading...
