Deandre Ayton knows the Lakers need him to be his best in the playoffs - BERITAJA

The past clip Deandre Ayton appeared successful the playoffs was successful 2023, erstwhile he was a personnel of the Phoenix Suns and was viewed successful NBA circles arsenic having the imaginable to beryllium a unit arsenic a halfway successful the league.

A batch has changed since past for Ayton.

He’s connected his 2nd squad since those days successful Phoenix — the Portland Trail Blazers and now the Lakers. He has been viewed arsenic a subordinate who hasn’t reached his afloat potential. He has been viewed arsenic an inconsistent player.

Ayton has a chance to beryllium his worth, to show his critics he has the expertise to beryllium elite successful the postseason erstwhile the Lakers unfastened the first-round of the Western Conference playoffs Saturday against the Houston Rockets astatine Crypto.com Arena.

“That I genuinely americium like, I emotion playing this crippled and I return awesome passion of playing connected some ends of the floor,,” Ayton said aft believe Wednesday. “I still judge conscionable being a two-way subordinate successful this league, that’s genuinely my 2nd nature, and that’s really I want to beryllium noted arsenic successful this league. It’s conscionable being an all-around, two- measurement superstar. Just taking passion connected some ends of the floor.

” I could play difficult connected offense. I could play difficult connected defense. So, that’s conscionable really my extremity — moving the level ever and closing retired possessions pinch rebounds and protecting the rim. So, conscionable trying to heighten everything I could coming into the playoffs.”

Ayton averaged profession lows successful points (12.5), rebounds (8.0) and minutes (27.2) pinch the Lakers this season. But he did play a career-high 72 games and changeable a career-best 67.1% from the field.

In the 3 seasons Ayton reached the playoffs pinch the Suns, he was a double-double machine, averaging 15.9 points and 10.5 rebounds successful a full of 45 games.

The Lakers will request that type of Ayton, particularly pinch Luka Doncic (Grade 2 near hamstring strain) and Austin Reaves (Grade 2 near oblique musculus strain) retired indefinitely.

“Yeah, I’ve shown it,” Ayton said. “So, it’s conscionable maine accepting the domiciled I’m successful and playing difficult arsenic hellhole successful that role. That’s about it. Every night.”

In his erstwhile 7 seasons earlier he arrived successful Los Angeles — 4 successful Phoenix and 2 successful Portland — Ayton averaged a double-double.

When the Lakers signed him to a two-year, $16-million woody pinch a subordinate option, they had hoped to get that Ayton.

Lakers halfway Deandre Ayton, left, deflects a changeable by Nets defender Nolan Traore past period astatine Crypto.com Arena.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

“Again, the full play for him has been about uncovering consistency,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said. “When he’s astatine his best, we’re an elite hoops team. That’s conscionable the reality. He raises our ceiling truthful overmuch — and it’s connected some sides of the ball. It’s not him being capable to people 24 points, though erstwhile he scores and shoots, we typically win. ... He’s conscionable a really bully hoops subordinate and we’re very happy pinch wherever he’s astatine correct now.”

Ayton was asked to measure his play pinch the Lakers.

“Yeah, I was challenged a batch this play and I consciousness for illustration I embraced everything that was thrown astatine me,” he said. “It took immoderate time, but I yet sewage power of everything. And I deliberation I sewage a bent of it and I for illustration it. I sewage the guys connected the squad that helped maine clasp everything that’s going on.

“And conscionable things we person going, pinch the dilemmas and the injuries, I consciousness for illustration we’ve been done this the full year. Just guys going retired and guys having large games. And we’re the squad wherever you don’t cognize who’s gonna person the 30 points, aliases this aliases that. We’re conscionable going to play difficult and conscionable play together.”

Ayton will person his hands afloat pinch Rockets All-Star halfway Alperen Sengun, who averages 20.4 points and 8.9 rebounds per game.

“I mean, it’s the playoffs. I mean it’s the postseason, you know?” Ayton said. “It’s called mano y mano and it’s not ever X’s, and O’s. You sewage to extremity the man and defender your yard.”

When the Suns reached the 2021 NBA Finals against the Milwaukee Bucks, location were times erstwhile Ayton was considered the second-best subordinate connected his team. Over six games, he averaged 14.7 points, 12.0 rebounds and changeable 53.1% percent from the section successful the series.

Game 1 of the best-of-seven bid for the Lakers is connected the sky and Ayton is excited to show what he has to connection now that he’s backmost successful the playoffs.

“Yeah, it’s almost speechless, particularly being connected this broadside of municipality now, you know, playing successful L.A. erstwhile I was connected the different side,” he said. “This spot could get beautiful loud. And I’m still trying to conscionable spell location and clasp everything. I cognize we haven’t ramped up yet, but coming retired of these practices, JJ gives you truthful much. And you person to dissect it sometimes, and you’re reasoning about the environment, you deliberation about the fans, reasoning about the first crippled arsenic a Laker successful the playoffs.

“So, I conscionable effort to find immoderate clip to drawback myself and stitchery and conscionable just relax. I’ve been present before, but I americium genuinely excited. I want to do backflips. I’m successful the purple and gold, and I conscionable want to really conscionable play difficult arsenic hellhole to lend to wins.”