Austin Reaves is ‘excited’ about Deandre Ayton, wants to ‘help him’ on offense

Los Angeles Lakers center Deandre Ayton wasn’t very involved in the team’s offensive attack at all during its preseason opener against the Phoenix Suns on Oct. 3. Despite getting the start, he mustered just one point and only took two shots from the field, with both of them missing.

Ayton’s teammate — guard Austin Reaves — insisted that he wants to get the big man more involved with the Lakers on that end of the floor after the 27-year-old barely got on the scoreboard against Phoenix.

“It’s the same thing as the outlook of the team,” Reaves said. “New organization, there’s a lot he’s got to learn within our system and you can’t grade him off 16-17 minutes of basketball. Obviously, if you watched him play in the past, he’s super skilled, can play both ends, he had a couple really good blocks. We, myself included, have to figure out how to help him a little bit more on the offensive end. Get him the ball where he wants to have it, but that will come in time as we’ve had three practices together. That will all come in time, we’re very excited to have him.”

The former No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft is a far more talented offensive player than his point total on Friday suggests. After all, he’s averaged 16.4 points per game on 59.0 percent from the field for his pro career, and his scoring capabilities aren’t limited to the painted area. He’s a pretty effective mid-range shooter and is comfortable taking perimeter shots from inside the 3-point line.

Even though Ayton was inept on offense in his preseason debut as a Laker, fans of the team shouldn’t be at all worried by his inability to score the ball. Ayton didn’t even log 20 minutes of playing time, and he’s still getting his feet wet with his new team.

The presence of both guard Luka Doncic and forward LeBron James on the floor should make Ayton’s life easier on offense moving forward as well. Neither of the two players suited up when the Lakers took on the Suns.

However, if these lifeless offensive performances carry over into the 2025-26 season, that’s a different story, and then there would be reason for concern. But one game alone is not enough evidence to prove scoring showings of that caliber will be a common occurrence for Ayton.

While Ayton played for the Lakers on Friday, he won’t make his official debut with them until they begin their 2025-26 season with a bout against the Golden State Warriors on Oct. 21. Hopefully, he will be a whole lot more effective from a scoring standpoint in that game and help the Lakers start off their 82-game schedule with a home victory.