Lakers' Deandre Ayton gives reassuring update to knee injury vs. Pelicans, reveals status for Suns originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Los Angeles Lakers were able to sign Deandre Ayton after the Portland Trail Blazers agreed to a contract buyout this past summer. Ayton impressed during the preseason but got off to a slow start as he adjusted to playing alongside Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves. His early play was sluggish enough that Shaquille O’Neal publicly called him out.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement“Listen Deandre, dominAyton, that performance yesterday, I need you to step it up my boy. You got to do three things. You got to rebound and you got to block shots and you got to dominate,” O’Neal said about Ayton. “The pressure’s not on you, you got two great players that get double a lot. When they make that little bounce pass, catch it and throw it down. You had a small guy guarding you in the post, you turn around and shoot a fadeaway. That’s not going to get it done. We need you brother, we need you to step it up.”
Ayton heard the criticism — and responded. He has been playing so well lately that his addition may be the Lakers’ best move of the offseason.
“With Ayton being receptive to Redick’s guidance and having the talent to execute his coach’s vision, the Ayton signing is looking like the best decision the Lakers’ front office made this summer,” Silver Screen and Roll’s Edwin Garcia wrote.
On Sunday night, Ayton appeared to reaggravate the knee issue that caused him to miss a game against the Los Angeles Clippers earlier in the week. In the fourth quarter, he signaled to the bench for a substitution. After the game, he made it clear he was fine.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement“It cooled down … I’m good now,” Ayton told the media.
Ayton seemed to have simply bumped knees with a New Orleans Pelicans player. The big man is expected to be available for Monday’s game, which is good news for the Lakers given how important he has been this season.
Ayton has seemingly turned his career around, and many of the narratives surrounding him are beginning to fade. He’s playing hard every night and appears to be charting a much more promising path forward.
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