When the Los Angeles Lakers acquired former No. 1 pick Deandre Ayton during the summer, the expectations were quite high. The 27-year-old big man was expected to bring stability at the center positions, which the Purple & Gold lacked even during the Anthony Davis era. However, that’s not been the case thus far this season.
While Ayton has shown flashes of his true potential, most of the time, he’s lacked effort and avoided the “dirty work” of rebounding and protecting the rim. Not to mention his struggles with injuries. All of this has led fans to question his role on the team and his long-term future in Southern California. This conversation especially resurfaced after he exited the Lakers’ 120-113 loss against Denver after just four minutes.
However, as it turns out Deandre Ayton is aware of the backlash he’s facing, as his teammate Marcus Smart revealed his mental state following Thursday’s loss.
“He’s down,” Smart told the reporters. “It sucked for him not to be out there in the game. He tried to go, and it just didn’t feel right for him, and it sucks. We definitely could have used him. I know as of lately, he’s been getting a lot of backlash for his effort and his play. He understands it. I know it might not seem like it, but he does, and he wants to do good, and he wants to help this team, and I think that’s what’s more frustrating for him, because he’s trying.”
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