Deandre Ayton Has “Bought In” To Role With Lakers

After airing his displeasure last month with the way the Lakers were using him, Deandre Ayton now says he’s fully committed to succeeding in his role and helping the team win, writes Dan Woike of The Athletic. Since returning from a brief bout with knee soreness, Ayton has been stringing together productive outings and has been a factor in L.A.’s six-game winning streak.

“I’ve completely … I bought in,” he said. “Completely, like 110 percent. I hope you see the work.”

Woike notes that coach JJ Redick‘s reliance on Ayton fluctuates from night to night, as he sometimes closes games with Jaxson Hayes or Maxi Kleber in the middle or goes without a traditional center. The Lakers have been asking Ayton to accept a smaller role on offense than he had in his other NBA stops. His primary responsibilities are to work hard on defense, attack the boards on both ends and blend into the offense by setting screens and rolling to the basket.

The limitations of that role caused him to declare three weeks ago, “They’re trying to make me Clint Capela,” but Woike states that Ayton has been learning how to make an impact on the game without being a primary scorer.

“I scratched that, I took that out,” Ayton said. “I said … when it comes to scoring, we don’t need that. We need you to put that energy what you have for offense and into defense. I just started looking in the mirror and said ‘Yo bro, … you’re not that guy. You don’t need to be on this team doing that at all. This team, you came here to be the effort guy and close out possessions, rebound. Run the damn floor hard as hell, make bigs work, make superstars work. And I’m having fun with it.”

The first pick in the 2018 draft, Ayton wasn’t able to achieve stardom during his five seasons in Phoenix or two years in Portland. He was ready for a fresh start after reaching a buyout agreement with the Trail Blazers last summer and signed with the Lakers for $8.1MM this season and the same amount as a player option for 2026/27.

Ayton relishes the thought of returning to the playoffs for the first time in three years, even if it’s in a reduced role.

“I really like that the team is trusting me, man,” he added. “I just don’t want to lose the trust, bro. That’s really what’s getting my juices going and me biting my fingernails waiting to get back in the damn game for real. Just getting back to having fun — I’m not gonna lie.”