There is still a lack of presence on the offensive end! Can the Lakers new players play a role only on the defensive end?

In a previous NBA preseason game, the Golden State Warriors, who played at home, successfully defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 111-103. After this game, the Warriors got a good start in the preseason; while the Lakers suffered two consecutive losses in the preseason, and two miserable losses.

In this game, the performance of the Lakers' starting center DeAndre Ayton can only be considered as a proper person. Ayton played 20 minutes and 57 seconds in the whole game, made 3 of 8 shots and 1 of 2 free throws, scored 7 points, 7 rebounds and 2 blocks, and had a turnover, with a plus-negative value of -25. On the one hand, Ayton's performance on the defensive end is still worthy of recognition. He can still exert his ability in rebound protection and inside defense. He can also play a certain effect in protecting the basket. His lower positive and negative values ​​are actually closely related to the team's overall defense chaos and the opponent's excellent outside shooting feel. Without Ayton, the Lakers will only be worse on the defensive end. However, on the other hand, Ayton's performance on the offensive end is still not ideal, his presence on the offensive end is still very limited, and his scoring ability is still relatively insufficient. He also seems to lack stable offensive means, which seems a bit worrying. Ayton's performance is not bad, but considering his ability and talent, it is obvious that everyone will also have higher expectations for him.

In the NBA regular season last season, Ayton was affected by injuries in 82 games, with a total of 40 appearances for his old club, the Portland Trail Blazers, averaging 30.1 minutes per game, averaging 14.4 points, 10.2 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 0.8 steals and 1 block, and 1.7 turnovers and 2.2 fouls, shooting percentage of 56.6%, three-point shooting percentage of 18.8%, and free throw shooting percentage of 66.7%. In the preseason game where the team lost to the Phoenix Suns in the previous game, Ayton made 0 of 2 shots and 1 of 2 free throws in 17 minutes and 50 seconds of playing time, scoring only 1 point, 8 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal and 2 blocks, and had 4 turnovers and 2 fouls, with a plus-minus value of -2.

Ayton's overall performance last season was not ideal, which was also an important factor in the Trail Blazers' buyout this summer and his final signing with the Lakers on a two-year contract with a total of $16.6 million. For Ayton, his performance in the Lakers in the new season will actually be directly related to his future career prospects and the amount of his next contract. Judging from Ayton's performance in these two preseason games, he is indeed working hard on the defensive end and has indeed played a certain role. But the Lakers signed him not just to play the role of the defensive gate. He also needs to play at a higher level on the offensive end. I don’t know if Ayton can perform better on the offensive end in the next game.