Phoenix Suns fans know better than to believe Deandre Ayton's latest comments. It's mid-March, and he is finally "completely bought in" to his role with the Lakers, who are 9-1 in their last 10 games. The center spoke with Dan Woike of The Athletic, explaining his mindset shift from wanting to be more involved on offense to being the guy LA needs (subscription required):
“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."
Phoenix has heard something like that before, on multiple occasions. Maybe this time, it will stick for Ayton, but again, Suns fans have had that same hope.
Remember when Ayton signed his four-year extension with Phoenix in 2022 as a restricted free agent? And hearing all about how motivated he was to reach a new level in his career and help push the Suns toward a championship? That optimism didn't last long, as his unreliability and attitude (among other things) led to a trade the following offseason.
Deandre Ayton is supposedly "bought in" to his Lakers role
As Ayton told Woike, JJ Redick told his team to treat this final stretch of the season like it's a "playoff atmosphere." The center noted that "everybody's been completely locked in" and that he's "tired of being the odd man out." He said he is "finally catching up."
There was always going to be an adjustment period for Ayton as he got used to playing a new role with Los Angeles, but it's been months. Literal months. It shouldn't have taken him this long to realize he doesn't want to hold his team back, especially after how his last stop in Portland ended, but here we are.
The Lakers are on a roll right now, and maybe that has something to do with Ayton accepting his role and having fun. That could change quickly, though, whether that be between now and the end of the regular season or in the playoffs. The thing with him is that the good times don't last.
Los Angeles is capable of making a run in the postseason with the version of Ayton that's stepped on the floor the past couple of weeks. You know, the Clint Capela rim-running version, which he originally turned his nose up at just a few weeks ago. Look at how that switch benefited his team. Whether that will continue to be the case is to be determined.