Can LeBron James help maddening Deandre Ayton change his image?

The Lakers found their next departure center, and they did not have to abandon Austin Reaves to land it.

There is a reason.

As athletic and qualified as Deandre Ayton is for a 7 -foot, he is better known at this stage of his career for his shortcomings.

Its exasperating inconsistency. His defense without inspiration. His lack of motivation. His inability to stay healthy.

The center of Portland Trail Blazers Deandre Ayton fired under pressure from the center of Denver Nuggets Nikola Jokic on February 10 in Denver.

(David Zalubowski / Associated Press)

If you don’t like Anthony Davis, you will hate Ayton. Davis has always been responsible or at least no deaf, which is apparently Ayton.

“I have nothing to prove in this league,” said Ayton once the NBA veteran journalist Mark Medina. “I am a maximum player, and I will continue to be a maximum player.”

It is not surprising that the Portland Trail Blazers officially abandoned Ayton during the weekend by buying his contract, opening the door to the Lakers to recover it at a good deals.

The Lakers bet they can do what the Trail Blazers, and the Phoenix Suns before them, could not.

They bet they can start the engine inside Ayton and keep it roaring.

From a physical and technical point of view, Ayton is able to be the player that Lakers need him. However, most athletes who do not already have something that burns inside at 26 years old do not suddenly discover fire at 27, that is to say Ayton’s age later this month.

This is why the Lakers should be grateful to have LeBron James still.

Who better to show a chronic underperforming how to maximize his gifts than a player preparing for a 23rd record season? Conversely, if the top scorer of all time in the NBA cannot inspire Ayton, who or what?

James, 40, will give the Lakers a chance to reach Ayton, which, in turn, will give them a chance to face another championship.

With their current list, the Lakers are clearly behind the NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, Denver Nuggets and the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Lakers belong to the following level of the Western Conference teams, alongside the Golden State Warriors and Clippers. This is more or less where they were last season.

Lakers are still looking for shooters. They still have to understand how they will stop anyone. They also need Ayton to be more than the player that he was in his first seven seasons of the NBA, even with his respectable career mediums of 16.4 points and 10.5 rebounds per game.

James will give the example. He will model the work habits necessary to be a coherent interpreter. He will display details that will make Ayton Recalibre how he thinks of the game.

Reaves benefited from its proximity to James. Rui Hachimura too. Again, Reaves and Hachimura were open to such advice. Is Ayton?

Ayton’s 27 -year -old brain could feel like a long, but consider this: Ayton was at his best when he played alongside a strong veteran presence.

Ayton was a third-year player on the Suns when they acquired a Chris Paul, 35, before the 2020-2010 season. With Ayton playing a main role, the Suns continued to reach the NBA final, where they lost against the Milwaukee Bucks.

Phoenix Suns goalkeeper Chris Paul, Center, speaks with the Center Deandre Ayton, on the left, during an eliminatory match against the Clippers in April 2023.

(Matt York / Associated Press)

The post-season race offered an example of how Ayton could respond positively to experienced leadership, as well as the way it could be better deployed on the ground.

Mobile Ayton was a dangerous threat to Paul, and it should be a dangerous lob threat to Luka Doncic. Ayton’s ability to shoot down medium sweaters has spaced the soil for the Suns, and this competence will undoubtedly be exploited by coach JJ Redick.

However, the X and O will not matter if Ayton does not appear to play every night. Ayton probably accepted the repurchase of his contract because he wanted to change the story of his career. It’s his luck. He will have a playmaker in Dononic, a team with championship aspirations in Lakers. Perhaps the most important, he will have a teacher at James.