There was a stretch earlier this season when Deandre Ayton looked like a problem the Lakers had no answer for. He was uncomfortable, disconnected, and visibly frustrated with his diminished role. That player is gone. What has replaced him might be more valuable.
The Lakers have gone 9-1 in their last 10 games, and a significant piece of that run has been Ayton fully embracing the role the team needs from him: setting physical screens, rolling hard to the rim, defending bigger players, and rebounding without demanding offensive attention.
In a candid interview, Ayton said he has completely bought in, emphasizing the word completely, and added: he hopes people see the work he is putting in. The quiet accountability in that statement is the kind of thing that locker rooms are built on.
The turning point came after a road loss in Denver where Ayton left early following a scoreless stretch. He said he looked in the mirror and came to terms with the reality that his role on this Lakers team is not about his individual scoring average. It is about protecting possessions and making winning plays on both ends of the floor.
When Ayton is locked in and committed to that identity, the Lakers function as a legitimate top-three team in the Western Conference and a serious playoff threat. His ability to protect the rim and give Luka Doncic and LeBron James a physical presence in the paint frees up everything else the offense wants to do.
Coach JJ Redick’s rotation still has some flexibility around Ayton in crunch-time situations, occasionally opting for smaller lineups depending on the matchup, but the production during Ayton’s run of committed and engaged games has been undeniable regardless of the minutes split.
Ayton himself acknowledged that every other player around him had been locked in from the start, and he was simply tired of being the one holding back the energy. That moment of self-awareness changed everything.
Championships are not won by stars alone. They are won by the fifth, sixth, and seventh man deciding to compete as hard as the first and second. Deandre Ayton has made that decision. And the Los Angeles Lakers are winning because of it.
