Deandre Ayton says he has bought in '110 percent' to helping Lakers
Deandre Ayton's scoring and offensive opportunities still come and go, but he seems to be more locked in than he was a few weeks ago.
Just a few weeks ago, Deandre Ayton was getting a lot of criticism from pundits and especially Los Angeles Lakers fans after a string of weak games in January and February. He was accused of being lazy and soft, and Lakers fans felt he was the weak link on the team. While Ayton's offensive production has remained inconsistent, his rebounding and defense, as well as his overall effort and energy, have improved lately.
He has played a supporting role in the Lakers' current seven-game winning streak, and his teammates have gotten him a little more involved in the team's offense. L. A.
's March 5 120-113 loss to the Denver Nuggets seemed to be the turning point for Ayton. In that game, he left early after going scoreless in 4:30 of playing time, and according to an article in The Athletic , something changed within him. "Sometime after Deandre Ayton exited the Los Angeles Lakers’ road loss to the Denver Nuggets, the 2018 No.
1 pick made a decision," wrote Dan Woike. "No longer, he thought, would he be a weight lagging behind his team. No longer would he worry about anything other than impacting winning.