Maybe in the past, the two shot attempts or the lone point he scored would’ve led to postgame frustrations. Friday after his Lakers debut — despite teammates like Reaves saying they needed to do a better job of getting him the ball — Ayton was proud of the impact he was able to make on defense. “I wanted to show the team I’m more committed on defensive end more than the offense in a way,” Deandre Ayton said. “Like I say from the get go, I’m not really here for numbers. I’m just here for whatever the Lakers really want me to do. And the main objective is really protecting that rim and closing out our possessions. And I had fun man.”

New York Times

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