The Lakers weren’t expecting a Shaquille O’Neal-style debut from DeAndre Ayton, but expectations for the new center were still high last night. Sadly, his numbers weren’t impressive, and to make things worse, the Lakers lost by 10 at home, making his void see more noticeable. Charles Barkley, as a result, had some stern words for the former Trail Blazers star.
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After the game, Barkley ripped into Ayton for his lackluster performance, mainly because he had been excited to watch him on opening night. In fact, Chuck said he was the “only player” he was watching in the loss to the Warriors.
This makes sense, given that Ayton was the big-time acquisition for the team in the offseason. Barkley went as far as to say that his presence would be essential to their chances of success. If he continues to play like he did yesterday, with 10 points, six rebounds, and zero assists, it will be difficult for the Lakers to succeed.
“If DeAndre Ayton does not play great, the Lakers ain’t gonna beat the top teams in the West,” Barkley stated on Inside The NBA.
It’s a hard opinion to disagree with, given that the Lakers were bounced from the playoffs last year even with LeBron James and Luka Doncic playing alongside each other. Ayton is expected to be the big man they need to complete the puzzle. Now, with LeBron out due to injury, he is expected to shoulder more of the load, and he failed to show up in his first game.
Barkley was visibly confused by Ayton’s lack of aggressiveness last night. He thought Ayton would be licking his chops at the chance to fill LeBron’s role.
“You know what bothered me about it, too? He should have been on fire last night,” Barkley said. “Because with no LeBron, he should’ve said, ‘Oh, I’m going to get LeBron’s shots tonight. He should be a 20-10 guy without LeBron. Easily. Not even 20. Without LeBron, he should be a 25 guy.”
Maybe 25 points per game is a bit lofty, and honestly, so is 20. Ayton’s career high is 18 points per game, which he set during his time with the Phoenix Suns. Still, he should be grabbing at least 10 rebounds a night, a mark he has reached in every season of his career.
At the end of the day, though, Barkley really just wants to see domin-Ayton do exactly what he was nicknamed for: dominate.
“When they put that little munchkin on him and he shot a fadeaway,” Barkley said, rolling his eyes. “When I watched that boy Sengun last night, they were putting little Caruso on him, he said, ‘Y’all need a bigger damn boat.’ Because Sengun was just like, ‘Y’all better get this little boy off me before I kill him.’ It was beautiful to watch.”
By the end of his tirade, Barkley’s co-host Kenny Smith tried to reason with him, pointing out that dominating at the rim has never been Ayton’s style. He’s a player who prefers to get the ball in the high post and go to work. Still, maybe it’s time for the center to adjust his game now that he’s with the Lakers.
Ayton reached the NBA Finals in his third season. Yet, it’s been all downhill from there. After the Suns fell apart, he went to the Portland Trail Blazers, where he grew a reputation for being “soft” with the fanbase. A great example was when he once missed a regular-season game because his driveway was iced over. Ayton said he spent “hours” trying to figure out a way around the ice, but he couldn’t, leading to his absence.
Ayton is expected to be the player he once was in Phoenix, not the version that showed up in Portland. But he seems to be slipping back into old habits and fading into the background. We’ll see if that continues or if he can snap out of the spell.
