Deandre Ayton’s role in the Los Angeles Lakers squad has been under scrutiny for the better part of the season. He has not looked in rhythm with the team’s superstar, Luka Doncic, and has not performed as expected at the beginning of the season. Recently, fans got another chance to go at him on social media.
Fullcourtpass shared on X that the Lakers team was experimenting with an interesting way to keep the 2018 first overall pick motivated during the regular season. The post read, as per NBA analyst Dave McMenamin:
“The Lakers training staff wraps Deandre Ayton’s water bottle in tape and writes “DA’s Crunk Juice — Drink this to unleash the beast” on it to keep him motivated.”
Fans ripped into Ayton in the comment section for taking immature steps to play better. One wrote:
“is he a toddler?? what tf is DA’s crunk juice”
Another wrote:
“Deeply unserious individual”
Another user wrote:
“Bro thinks this is space jam”
Another took a shot at Ayton and wrote:
“Like giving a drink to a kid and saying this gives you super powers”
Another asked:
“So the Los Angeles Lakers need a labeled “Crunk Juice” bottle to unlock Deandre Ayton??”
Ayton is averaging a career-low 13.2 points and 8.5 rebounds, and tactics like naming his water bottle prove the team’s desperation to unleash the center’s full potential before the Lakers begin their postseason run. He scored 21 points and 13 rebounds in a loss to the Orlando Magic in the last game.
“It’s a bit upsetting,” Deandre Ayton lets his feelings be known after the Magic loss
The ball was in the hands of Luka Doncic for the final play of the night in the game against the Magic, as the Lakers trailed 109-110. However, Paolo Banchero, who was defending Doncic, closed out on him and forced him to pass the ball to LeBron James. The 4-time NBA champion wasn’t expecting the pass and let it fly from deep.
The shot didn’t get through and landed in the hands of Deandre Ayton standing below the ring. Though the center made the rebound shot, the regulation time was over, and the Lakers lost back-to-back games. Ayton addressed the final play in the post-game presser and sounded off on the whole ordeal. He said:
“t’s a bit upsetting. But I think we got like 24 games left, we got a lot of chances to just get in as good of a position as we can. It did feel weird in the home stand just being 4-4 and it was tough losses playing against some really good teams. But we play every other day, so just get back in the lab and get ready for the next game.”
Deandre Ayton will have to come up big if the Lakers are eyeing a deep playoff run. The team is 11-9 against the Eastern Conference teams this season. Even though Luka Doncic has led the season in scoring, there have been constant issues with the bench production and defense of the team.
READ MORE: Why Michael Jordan Passed on the ‘Black Mamba’ Nickname Before Kobe Bryant Made It Iconic?
Two Glaring Luka Doncic Flaws Brutally Pointed Out by Analyst After Crushing Loss to Orlando Magic
College Sports Network has you covered with the latest news, analysis, insights, and trending stories in college football, men’s college basketball, women’s college basketball, and college baseball!
