The Lakers weren’t expecting a Shaquille O’Neal-style debut from Deandre Ayton, but expectations were still high for the new center who debuted Tuesday night against the Warriors. It was an underwhelming opening game for Ayton, and to make things worse, the Lakers lost by 10 at home. A loss, in any case, makes a performance void all the more glaring.
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Charles Barkley highlighted the poor numbers while dishing out some stern words for the former Trail Blazers star. After the game, Barkley ripped into Ayton mainly because he had been looking forward to watching him in action on opening night. In fact, Ayton was the “only player” Chuck was watching in the Lakers vs. Warriors matchup.
Given that Ayton was the big-time acquisition for the team in the offseason, eyeballs were bound to be on him. Barkley went as far as to say that if Ayton continues to play like he did, with 10 points, six rebounds, and zero assists against the Warriors in the 109-119 loss, 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.
Given that the Lakers were bounced from the playoffs last year, even with LeBron James and Luka Doncic playing alongside each other, Ayton’s contribution as the big man on the roster is needed for them to complete the puzzle. Now, with LeBron out due to injury, the new center 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 against the Warriors. 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 (2018 to 2023). Still, he should be grabbing at least 10 rebounds a night, an average he has managed 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,” he 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,” added Barkley.
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. That said, maybe it’s time for the center to adjust his game now that he’s with the Lakers.
Ayton, who was drafted by the Suns in 2018m reached the NBA Finals in his third season. And 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”.
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.
Ayton is expected to be the player he once was in Phoenix, not the version that showed up in Portland. But the 27-year-old seems to be slipping back into the habit of fading into the background. We’ll see if that continues or if he can snap out of the spell in LA.
