Shaquille O’Neal pinpoints 3 glaring Deandre Ayton issues he must prioritize after flat Lakers debut

NBA: OCT 21 Golden State Warriors at Los Angeles Lakers - Source: Getty
Deandre Ayton didn't look good in his Lakers debut

After losing Anthony Davis, the LA Lakers needed someone to anchor the paint and be an interior presence on both sides of the glass.

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They hoped that Deandre Ayton would be that guy, but the early returns were far from encouraging.

The former No. 1 pick struggled to establish his presence on offense, and he got picked up on defense throughout the course of the entire game. Lakers fans are ruthless, and they're already on his toes.

With that in mind, former Lakers legend Shaquille O'Neal pinpointed the three things he needs to do to help the team win some games.

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Talking on ESPN's inaugural edition of "Inside the NBA," the four-time NBA champion sent him a blunt message:

"Listen, DeAndre," O'Neal said. "I need you to step it up my boy. You gotta do three things: you gotta rebound, block shots, and you gotta dominate. The pressure's not on you, you playing with two great players that get doubled a lot. When they make the little bounce pass, catch it, and throw it down."
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O'Neal went on to say that Ayton wasn't even getting doubled and that he had a small guy guarding him in the post, so there was no need to shoot a fadeaway. True to form, he added that Ayton was "terrible" and the Lakers needed more from him.

Deandre Ayton is struggling in the pick-and-roll

Ayton, who had ten points and six rebounds on seven shots, admitted that he didn't play up to his standards.

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More than that, he also acknowledged that he's still trying to work on his chemistry in the pick-and-roll with Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, as he was responsible for several turnovers:

“I was realizing, I’m probably a confusing big whether I can roll and stand in the pocket, probably gets a little difficult for them sometimes,” Ayton admitted. “I’m so used to having that low man on me. Sometimes I can’t even finish a roll, and I tiny bit linger around the free-throw area just to be available for him."
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Ayton is just getting acclimated, so there will obviously be some growing pains along the way. Also, with LeBron James out for the next couple of weeks, it will be a while before this team gets it together.

Even so, given Ayton's history of underperforming in big moments and reports about his character, there are also more than enough reasons to be worried if you're a Lakers fan.

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Edited by Ernesto Cova
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