Getty

Deandre Ayton of the Los Angeles Lakers.

Starting center DeAndre Ayton made a strange comment calling himself the “secret weapon” of the Los Angeles Lakers this postseason. Ayton was discussing his defensive contributions and his goals of using that to help the Lakers contend for an NBA Championship. However, it came off more strange than anything due to Ayton’s inconsistent play throughout the season.

Ayton shared the following insight about defending all positions as the secret weapon:

“I love (stepping up defensively). I couldn’t wait to show that. I’m about to show the world I can guard 1 through 5. I thought it was gonna be a secret weapon, but I’ve been practicing and having multiple reps guarding the best players in the league on isolations. And the confidence is way up there. And I have extreme help, guys I built chemistry off the court with got my back. So yeah, I love switching.”

The quote stems from Ayton helping the Lakers’ defensive mindset of double-teaming Kevin Durant to make life harder for the Houston Rockets. Durant is the only Rockets player easily able to get his own shot, and the Lakers have put taller defenders on him via double team methods. Ayton was ecstatic about his role in helping the Lakers gain a 2-0 lead.

DeAndre Ayton Using Opportunity To Repair Reputation

Ayton joined the Lakers with a terrible reputation after failing to live up to the hype of being the number one draft pick. The Phoenix Suns gave up on Ayton after accepting their horrible mistake of drafting him over Luka Doncic with the top selection.

Another failed tenure with the Portland Trail Blazers showed Ayton failing to prove he deserves a starting center spot in the league. The Lakers signed Ayton due to his lower value making him a cheap option to give them a new name at their most flawed position.

Ayton has done a solid job in the second half of the season and during his time on the court this postseason so far. The player option in his contract could see Ayton opting out and looking for a longer extension worth more than his current $8 million per season if he has a good playoff run.

Lakers Need Centers For Postseason Success

Ayton and Jaxson Hayes have both played good basketball so far for the Lakers to dominate the series so far. Los Angeles missing both Doncic and Austin Reaves made Houston the favorites entering this season, even with Durant’s injury impacting the series.

JJ Redick has praised both centers and made sure to commend Ayton when revealing why he was benched in Game 2. Hayes had a great hot streak and inspired Redick to keep riding the hot hand instead of putting Ayton back in the game.

However, Redick making sure that the media knows Ayton played well confirms progress is there. Ayton has improved his chances of being a part of the Lakers’ long-term future by doing the little things more effectively as the season went on. Confidence is also on Ayton’s side to continue having a good playoff run to validate his role on the team.