Lakers legend fires stern warning to Deandre Ayton after lackluster debut vs. Warriors

The Los Angeles Lakers began the season against the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday night, and it did not go their way—they lost by double digits. All preseason, Lakers center DeAndre Ayton had been garnering attention, even being called the steal of the draft.

“There is still a level of caution revolving around Deandre Ayton that is hard to shake. However, in the very early parts of the Ayton experience for the Los Angeles Lakers, it is likewise difficult to shake the present feeling that Rob Pelinka and the front office made the biggest steal of the summer,” Lake Show Life’s Syvatoslav Rovenchuk wrote. “The more Ayton continues to look like someone who can reliably fix the concerns of last season, the more his $8.1 million contract will stick out for its value. Not only will that be a bargain, it could be highway robbery by year's end.”

However, Ayton looked lost on Tuesday, and he made an admission following the game.

“Deandre Ayton admitted he might be a ‘confusing’ pick-and-roll target after Austin Reaves blamed some of his five turnovers for making the ‘wrong pass at the right time’ in the two-man game with the new Lakers center,” Lakers insider Dave McMenamin posted.

On Wednesday, former Lakers legend Shaquille O’Neal sent a message to the newly acquired big man.

“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 still has a lot of growing to do, and the Lakers feel they have the right teammates to help him. However, he is going to have to make adjustments quickly before the Lakers move on.

Los Angeles is looking to establish a dominant big man, so hopefully Shaq’s message pays major dividends. If not, things could get tricky for the Lakers, as they might be forced into a familiar and uncomfortable situation.