Deandre Ayton is having a fantastic season with the Los Angeles Lakers, and he's showcasing exactly what the Indiana Pacers are missing. In 14 games for the Lakers so far, the Arizona alum is averaging 16.5 points and 8.8 rebounds while shooting a career-best 69.9% from the field.
After the Portland Trail Blazers bought him out in the offseason, there were some discussions about whether the Pacers would have interest in Ayton. Again. (Remember: they did offer him a four-year, $133 million deal in 2022 before the Phoenix Suns matched it). And, according to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line, the Pacers did reportedly have interest in bringing him in.
"Sources say that the Pacers have, however, registered interest in Ayton," Fischer wrote in July.
Ultimately, Ayton joined the Lakers instead and is now playing a big role on a team that's 11-4 and looking like a legitimate title contender. Meanwhile, Indiana is still struggling to figure out its center situation after Myles Turner joined the Milwaukee Bucks in free agency.
Would signing Ayton have solved all of the Pacers' problems this season? Of course not. But it certainly would have made things a lot easier for them.
Deandre Ayton is playing a key role for the Lakers
Ayton was always supposed to be a good center in the NBA. He went first overall in 2018 in the same draft that featured guys like Luka Doncic (his current teammate, ironically), Trae Young, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Jalen Brunson.
Obviously, most of those guys weren't ever expected to be as good as they turned out to be (Brunson was drafted in the second round), but it's still a testament to how highly Ayton was touted at the time.
However, throughout his time in the league so far, the idea of him has been better than the reality of him. He has always been solid, but he hasn't made much of a leap since finishing third place for the Rookie of the Year award in 2019.
Now, he is in a great situation in Los Angeles. With Doncic, LeBron James, and Austin Reaves being the main focal points on offense, Ayton can just focus on what he does best: rebounding and being a legitimate paint presence on both sides. If the Lakers win it all this season, it's not going to be solely because of Ayton. But he will surely be a reason they have a lot of success.
As for the Pacers, they are still struggling to figure things out without Turner. They are running a center-by-committee, which, for the most part, hasn't worked out well.
Isaiah Jackson has shown glimpses of potential, but he still isn't showcasing enough to prove he can be a full-time starter on the team. Jay Huff has mostly had a disappointing stint in Indiana so far, but he may be turning things around after his impressive 20-point, three-block performance against the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday. And Tony Bradley is still just Tony Bradley.
Having Ayton would have helped as he is a solid rim protector who can grab boards and finish in the paint.
There is still a lot of time for the Pacers to figure it out and for Ayton to potentially remind everyone why he's on his third team in four years. However, for now, he is showcasing exactly what Indiana is missing out on. And it may haunt them for the rest of the season.