Hernández: Can LeBron James help maddening Deandre Ayton transform into a reliable center?

The Lakers found their next starting center, and they didn’t have to give up Austin Reaves to land him.

There’s a reason why.

As athletic and skilled as Deandre Ayton is for a 7-footer, he’s better known at this stage of his career for his shortcomings.

His maddening inconsistency. His uninspired defense. His lack of motivation. His inability to stay healthy.

Portland Trail Blazers center Deandre Ayton shoots under pressure from Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic on Feb. 10 in Denver. (David Zalubowski / Associated Press)

If you didn’t like Anthony Davis, you’re going to hate Ayton. Davis was always accountable or at very least not tone deaf, which Ayton apparently is.

“I got nothing to prove in this league,” Ayton once told veteran NBA reporter Mark Medina. “I’m a max player, and I’ll continue to be a max player.”

Little wonder the Portland Trail Blazers officially gave up on Ayton during the weekend by buying out his contract, opening the door for the Lakers to pick him up at a bargain price.

The Lakers are wagering they can do what the Trail Blazers, and the Phoenix Suns before them, couldn’t.

They are betting they can start the engine inside of Ayton and keep it roaring.

From a physical and technical standpoint, Ayton is capable of being the player the Lakers need him to be. However, most athletes who don’t already have something burning inside of them at 26 don’t suddenly discover fire at 27, which is how old Ayton will be later this month.

Read more: Lakers agree to terms with former Portland center Deandre Ayton

Which is why the Lakers should be grateful they still have LeBron James.

Who better to show a chronic underachiever how to maximize his gifts than a player preparing for a record 23rd season? Conversely, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer can’t inspire Ayton, who or what will?

The 40-year-old James will give the Lakers a chance to reach Ayton, which, in turn, will give them a chance to contend for another championship.

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

The Lakers belong with the next tier of Western Conference teams, alongside the Golden State Warriors and Clippers. That’s more or less where they were last season.

The Lakers are still looking for shooters. They still have to figure out how they’re going to stop anyone. They also need Ayton to be more than the player he was in his first seven NBA seasons, even with his respectable career averages of 16.4 points and 10.5 rebounds per game.

Read more: Bronny James plays coy about father LeBron’s future with Lakers

James will lead by example. He will model the work habits required to be a consistent performer. He will display an attention to detail that will make Ayton recalibrate how he thinks of the game.

Reaves has benefited from his proximity to James. So has Rui Hachimura. Then again, Reaves and Hachimura were open to such guidance. Is Ayton?

Rewiring Ayton’s 27-year-old brain might feel like a longshot, 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 35-year-old Chris Paul before the 2020-21 season. With Ayton playing a starring role, the Suns went on to reach the NBA finals, where they lost to the Milwaukee Bucks.

Phoenix Suns guard Chris Paul talks with center Deandre Ayton during a playoff game against the Clippers in April 2023. — Phoenix Suns guard Chris Paul, center, talks with center Deandre Ayton, left, during a playoff game against the Clippers in April 2023. (Matt York / Associated Press)

The postseason run offered an example of how Ayton could respond positively to experienced leadership, as well as how he could be best deployed on the court.

The mobile Ayton was a dangerous threat for Paul, and he should be a dangerous lob threat for Luka Doncic. The ability of Ayton to knock down midrange jumpers spaced the floor for the Suns, and that skill will undoubtedly be exploited by coach JJ Redick.

The X’s and O’s won’t matter if Ayton doesn’t show up to play every night, however. Ayton presumably agreed to the buyout of his contract because he wanted to change the narrative of his career. This is his chance. He will have a playmaker in Doncic, a team with championship aspirations in the Lakers. Perhaps most important, he will have a teacher in James.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

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