Deandre Ayton’s ‘confusing’ confession has fans on edge

The The Los Angeles Lakers opened their season with a 119-109 loss to the Golden State Warriors. at home. While Luka Dončić was the best in the game with 43 points, Deandre Ayton could collect only 10 points and six rebounds off 5-7 shooting.

While he was efficient throughout the night, Ayton seemed to appreciate how he can be a tough pick-and-roll target.

“I realized today that I’m probably confusingly big, when I can roll and just stand in the pocket. It’s probably a little difficult for them sometimes. I’m so used to the league having that short man on me, so sometimes I can’t even finish the roll,” he said, and Austin Reeves also previously stated that the timing of his passes to the Lakers the new center was problematicaccording to video posted by ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.

Ayton stated that he might be better off staying in the free throw area more, arguing that “we still have to play.” That’s understandable given that this was the 27-year-old’s first official game for the Lakers.

Regardless, fans did not take kindly to the recognition, as a number of Lakers fans expressed concern. One fan posted a video of Ayton’s pregame workout, suggesting the Lakers may not be focusing on the right things.

“Meanwhile, this is his foreplay. 🤦‍♂,” they wrote.

“1 jump in the second half 7 feet high by the way,” wrote another, clearly disappointed by the lack of a jump.

“Fucking pick and roll. This big good-for-nothing dumbass only had 6 goddamn rebounds. He’s 7’1 for crying out loud. Luka had twice as many. I’m sorry** big man,” another wrote.

Others expressed similar concerns, with one stating that Ayton’s tendencies could lead to significant challenges.

“Aiton is already messing with my mental….,” they wrote.

Another felt it was the fault of the coaching staff, not Ayton himself.

“Where’s the coaching on this? Lakers seem to have as many bench coaches as players. Who’s running this scheme? Maybe a new coach is needed, not another player. I believe in Ayton’s skills, but you need a scheme to make them happen,” they wrote.

Needless to say, while Ayton undoubtedly needs more time to bond with his teammates, most fans thought this was too basic an issue to actually be a problem.