LOS ANGELES — As the Los Angeles Lakers begin preparations for the 2025-26 campaign, general manager Rob Pelinka said newcomer Deandre Ayton is already standing out during voluntary workouts at the team’s practice facility.
Speaking with ESPN LA, Pelinka noted that the front office made acquiring a starting center its top priority after last season’s first-round loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves forced head coach JJ Redick to rely on small-ball lineups. “We felt like this offseason we wanted to address a couple key areas, one was adding a starting caliber center,” Pelinka said. “Just watching [Ayton] play with the guys over the last week or two in some of the player scrimmages—incredible hands, his catch radius really stands out, he can catch lobs. Really happy about that.”
Ayton, 27, has averaged a double-double in each of his six NBA seasons and hopes to revive his near All-Star form now that he is back in a winning environment. He thrived in pick-and-roll sets with Chris Paul while with the Phoenix Suns and is expected to fill a similar role alongside Luka Dončić in Los Angeles.
Last postseason, reserve center Jaxson Hayes did not register double-digit minutes in any game, underscoring the club’s need for a reliable interior presence. Pelinka believes Ayton’s finishing ability will help diversify an offense that struggled to generate easy looks after Anthony Davis was traded.
Defensively, the former No. 1 overall pick acknowledged he still must become a more consistent rim protector—an area the Lakers have targeted since Davis’s departure. Ayton has publicly stated he wants to grow on that end of the floor, giving Los Angeles a potential two-way boost as training camp approaches.
Source: Lakers Nation
