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The LA Lakers seemed like a team on the rise initially in the season. They are still in the playoff race, but the past few weeks have changed the momentum around them. Two separate three-game losing streaks have cooled the optimism, and the slide has started to attract criticism from outside.
Deandre Ayton faces harsh criticism
Zach Lowe is one of them. On his podcast, the veteran analyst zeroed in on Deandre Ayton, The Lakers' marquee offseason addition.
"I want to say something about Ayton," Lowe said. "I told you beofre the season this would work. And I said 'I don't mean Dominayton, I don't mean All-Star game, i mean 16.8 (ppg), solid defense, finish at the rim. He is averaging 14.8 and shooting 68% and I'm here to tell you ... it ain't working."
Ayton was supposed to be the solution to the Lakers' defensive issues. While he has provided good stability moving forward, the former Suns player has struggled in defensive areas, a point Lowe noted his savage takedown.
"It's so disappointing that this guy who looked like this lump of clay that a team could mold any way they wanted to is just a lump of clay offensively," Lowe remarked.
Deandre Ayton's average season
Lowe's criticism of Ayton stems from his work in paint attackingly. While he is averaging 14.5 ppg, the center is averaging 2.6 offensive rebounds per game, a career low.
The Lakers' three-game slide did not help Ayton's case either, as the center's struggles became more obvious.
However, it is not all doom and gloom. The $8.1 million has displayed glimpses of what he can provide and can still be molded into a much better threat in the paint before the playoff season starts.
Deandre Ayton makes a scathing review of his development from Zach Lowe
The 2018 NBA Draft class has not had the best performance in recent weeks. Following Trae Young's trade to the Washington Wizards, first overall pick Deandre Ayton has received major criticism.
Zach Lowe, who once appreciated Ayton's move to the Lakers, has become his biggest critic, with the NBA expert harshly dissecting his development as a player.
"How is it possible that a 19-year-old jack of all trades, master of none, is now a 27-year-old jack of all trades, master of none?" Lowe said via his podcast.
Despite guiding the Phoenix Suns to an NBA Finals a few years ago, that run has now become an old memory as Ayton is slowly fading into obscurity and is on the edge of being called an all-time bust.
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