Los Angeles Lakers assistant coach Scott Brooks reportedly was an advocate in the organization for the team signing center Deandre Ayton.
Brooks was an assistant coach for Ayton’s former team – the Portland Trail Blazers – from the 2021-22 season through the 2023-24 season.
“Ayton is said to have had another advocate within the Lakers’ ranks recommending that L.A. sign him: Former Blazers-turned-Lakers assistant coach Scott Brooks,” NBA insider Marc Stein wrote.
Ayton was with the Blazers from the 2023-24 season through 2024-25 season, and he averaged a double-double in both seasons. In the 2024-25 campaign, Ayton appeared in 40 games and averaged 14.4 points, 10.2 rebounds and 1.0 block per game while shooting 56.6 percent from the field.
Now, Ayton will get a chance to team up with LeBron James and Luka Doncic in Los Angeles.
Doncic and Ayton were both in the 2018 draft class, so the Lakers could have an interesting duo for the long haul if Ayton is able to produce at a high level in the 2025-26 season. If the former No. 1 overall pick does that, the Lakers may be willing to commit to him long term as their starting center.
In the 2025 NBA Playoffs, the Lakers did not have an answer at the center position, as Jaxson Hayes was eventually benched by Lakers head coach J.J. Redick in the first round against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Hopefully, Brooks can help Ayton transition to Los Angeles because the two have prior experience together in Portland. A former head coach with the Oklahoma City Thunder and Washington Wizards, Brooks was brought on to the Lakers’ staff in the 2024-25 season to give Redick a veteran voice on the bench.
Even though Ayton has not lived up to the expectations of a No. 1 overall pick, he has still averaged a double-double in every season in his NBA career.
On top of that, he was a critical part to the Phoenix Suns’ run to the NBA Finals in the 2020-21 season. Phoenix lost that series in six games, but Ayton averaged 15.8 points and 11.8 rebounds per game during the 2021 NBA Playoffs.
It’ll be interesting to see how he fits with the Lakers in the 2025-26 season.
