Compared with last season, they are completely different! The Lakers signed an inside pillar with an annual salary of 8 million?

In the previous NBA regular season, the Los Angeles Lakers, playing at home, defeated the San Antonio Spurs in a thrilling 118-116 game. After this game, the Lakers' record, which had won five consecutive victories, improved to 7 wins and 2 losses, and their ranking surpassed the Spurs and moved to second place in the Western Conference; while the Spurs, who suffered two consecutive losses, saw their record drop to 5 wins and 2 losses, and their ranking was overtaken by many teams and fell to fifth place in the Western Conference.

In this game, the Lakers' starting center DeAndre Ayton continued his recent strong performance. Ayton played for 33 minutes and 7 seconds, making 9 of 13 shots and 4 of 4 free throws. He had a double-double of 22 points, 10 rebounds, 1 steal and 2 blocks, including 4 offensive rebounds and 3 fouls, with a plus-minus of +1. Ayton continues his outstanding performance on the offensive end. His inside scoring ability and the stability of mid-range and short-range shooting are quite outstanding. His offensive efficiency is still very amazing. Not only that, Ayton's enthusiasm in fighting for rebounds in the front and backcourt is also visible to the naked eye, and he also plays the role of an inside pillar on the defensive end and guards the team's inside. Ayton also brought out all aspects of his characteristics in this game. The team's ability to defeat strong opponents is closely related to his strong performance.

In the NBA regular season last season, Ayton was affected by injuries in 82 games, making a total of 40 appearances for his old club, the Portland Trail Blazers, averaging 30.1 minutes per game. The average data per game is 14.4 points, 10.2 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 0.8 steals and 1 block, as well as 1.7 turnovers and 2.2 fouls. The shooting percentage is 56.6%, the three-point shooting percentage is 18.8%, and the free throw percentage is 66.7%. In the previous NBA preseason, Ayton played a total of 5 times, averaging 24.1 minutes per game. He averaged 8.8 points, 9 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1 steal, and 1.8 blocks per game. He also had 1.8 turnovers and 1.8 fouls. He shot 51.4% from the field and 66.7% from the free throw line. Since the start of this season, Ayton has played a total of 8 times in the first 9 games, averaging 31.4 minutes per game, averaging 17.5 points, 8.4 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 0.5 steals, and 1.3 blocks per game. He also has 2.3 turnovers and 3.1 fouls. His field goal percentage is 65.7% and his free throw percentage is 58.8%.

Ayton's statistics this season have been significantly improved compared to last season when he played for the Portland Trail Blazers. Considering that his ball ownership and tactical status are actually not that high, his improvement is visible to the naked eye. The Lakers' ability to maintain an excellent record despite being full of injured troops is closely related to Ayton's outstanding performance. Although he has just joined the team, Ayton has proven that he is an indispensable inside pillar for the team, and his arrival has greatly improved the integrity of the team's lineup. The Lakers signing Ayton with such a contract with an annual salary of 8 million US dollars is simply a great value. As several stars gradually recover from the impact of injuries, will the Lakers' future situation be absolutely great?