1 point, 8 rebounds and 4 mistakes, Ayton s debut exposed his shortcomings, the Lakers inside line in the new season is difficult to match the Western Conference s strongest players

The new season's preseason kicked off, and the Lakers' preseason and Suns' first game. Although Doncic and James were absent, the debut of several new players is also looking forward to it. Compared with other Western Conference powerhouses, the Lakers' signings this summer can only be considered average. The joining of Finney Smith, Laravia + Ayton + Smart, to a certain extent, was actively promoted by Doncic, and the Lakers' management is at the lowest cost to meet Doncic's basic needs for the lineup. Although the Lakers were third in the regular season in the Western Conference last season, they were defeated by the Timberwolves in the first round. Except for the big three who were a little tight in defense, the inside was really broken through. Redick said many times that no one in the inside was available. Ayton is here in the offseason, the Lakers made their debut, 0 of 2 shots in 18 minutes, 1 point, 8 rebounds and 4 turnovers.

is embarrassing, unexpected but reasonable. As the No. 18 pick, Ayton has a high starting point, but it must be a bit of a matter of being elected as the No. 1 pick by Doncic, Trae Young, Jaren Jr., and Alexander. He also followed the Suns to reach the finals, but the reason for being abandoned by the Suns is very simple. He has no desire to win and team spirit, attaches too much importance to money, has negative emotions in the game, and the contradictions with the coach are irreconcilable. The past is about to be over, why did Ayton not even score a goal when facing young people like Iguodaro and Maruac? It can be said that no one from the team assisted him. When James and Doncic came back, Ayton, as the main tool player in the pick-and-roll, will definitely get a lot of opportunities. Will this be true?

Look at a data. Last season, Ayton played 40 games with the Trail Blazers, of which there were only two games with more than 4 free throws in a single game, respectively, playing against the Suns in early February. He was not ruthless against his old club, and 22 shots in the whole game were exchanged for 25 points and 8 free throws; there was also a game against the Kings at the end of November last year. The Trail Blazers won under the leadership of Ayton, and Ayton scored 26 points and 9 rebounds, and 6 free throws. With the remaining 38 games, it can be said that he has no aggression at the basket. Ayton's experience in the past three years is easily reminded of Ben Simmons who gradually faded out of the league. They are also the top picks and have good talents, but they have no desires and no desires, just live a life of being a typical example. If he said he was not good, he could contribute 14+10 per game; if he said he was okay, the On-Off value last season was -5.1!

There is one data that was originally puzzled: when Ayton was at the Trail Blazers last season, the difference in the team's rebounding rate was -2.8%. The team's franchise protection was even worse, far inferior to Klingen, who even played in the CBA! It can be foreseen that when James and Doncic come back, even if Ayton gets a bargain or is fed hard, he averages 12 points and 10 rebounds per game, which should not be a big problem, but there are three obvious shortcomings. The first is the butter hand, who can't hold the ball in his hand and lacks upper limb strength; secondly, the defense doesn't look at people, old fans should remember that Monty coach has criticized Ayton a lot during the Suns; the key is that he lacks aggressiveness at the basket, and the confrontation is easy to deform. In addition, the natural attribute of being a waste of life, is there any rescue?

In Ayton's own words, I came to the Lakers not for data, but for what the Lakers really want me to do. The price of 16.6 million in two years is indeed not high, but James and Doncic want to compete for the championship in the new season. Ayton will face Harten + Homgren, Gobert + Randall, Jokic + Gordon, Zubac + Daluo, Shenjing + Adams + Capela. Who can he withstand? In fact, the Los Angeles media have always been unoptimistic about Ayton's prospects in the Lakers. During the offseason, they constantly believe that the Lakers should try to pursue Clarkston and Kessler, inside players who can really grow with Doncic. Ayton couldn't even make basic control mistakes and couldn't even get in the upper basket. What can

Ayton bring to the Lakers? Booker's original words were: I think we can only wait and see! Any former teammate in the league, even if he has never been a teammate, usually politely or praise him when evaluating, but Booker may really not find any words to praise Ayton, so he can only leave time. Negative game sentiment in the Suns + too much attention to money (both Paul and Monty were dissatisfied) + no competitive mentality for playing basketball; when the Trail Blazers are late and leave early, which arouses dissatisfaction and takes the initiative to say goodbye; when the Lakers are at the Lakers, there is only one mouth left. The Lakers want to reach the basic championship threshold, or pass the Western Conference's top six, are there only Ayton and Hays in the interior? So what can Ayton do for the Lakers?

Let's talk about another data. Ayton has entered the league for 7 seasons, and only 2 seasons have achieved a positive rebounding difference (BR can be checked). Simply put, Ayton's data in the new season may dilute some of James' rebounds and scores, but essentially his job, and his presence may only be worse. Doncic signed a three-year contract of 165 million yuan this summer to help the Lakers recruit three new players. Doncic still hopes that the Lakers will be competitive in the new season, but he is afraid he will miscalculate. If Paul's level of legendary point guard could not pull Ayton out of the mud, at this stage of his career, Ayton would have been flat. It’s just where to lie flat and how long it takes to really reveal the stuff.