Lakers Deandre Ayton & Jake Laravia IN THE LAB Putting in Work! | Ayton/Laravia 25-26 Expectations!

Lakers Deandre Ayton & Jake Laravia IN THE LAB Putting in Work! | Ayton/Laravia 25-26 Expectations!

Throughout the first month of the 202526 NBA calendar year, the Los Angeles Lakers been pretty busy. Not only signing Luca Donic to a brand new contract, therefore retaining him and keeping him long-term with their team. That was obviously great to see and hear from him earlier today. But prior to that, signing Marcus Smart, DeAndre Aton, Jake the Arabia, drafting a new Theo. A few of which that Luca Donic directly helped them with and help recruit to their team. Those two being Marcus Smart and DeAndre Eaton. And slowly but surely, we’re getting to see more of them in the Lakers practice facility. More of them simply being around the team and working on their game for the upcoming season. And that kind of begs the question of what do they have to prove on the Lakers team next season? What kind of role will they or should they be looking to fill? What do they have to improve upon or get back to where they maybe didn’t show last season? I think that’s worth talking about and worth taking a look at for the upcoming NBA season. So, we’re going to talk about that today. Talking about both DeAndre Aton and Jakeia, both of which are joining the team with plenty to prove and plenty to prove wrong next season. That being especially true for Deanderean, but even for Jake Labia, showing that he can be a part of the team’s future, part of the Luca Lakers timeline, and simply that he can be a viable rotation player for their team or any other team for that fact, too. So, with that being said, we’re going to talk about the expectations for both Jake Rabia and DeAndre, both of which have been working out in preparation for the upcoming NBA season, and they both have a lot to offer and a lot to show for their team next season. And beginning with Jake Rabia, you know, this one’s not as talked about as a Marcus Smart or DeAndre, but I think it was quietly a really good and potentially long-term addition for their team. Like I said, too, Jake Rabia coming off a season of averaging roughly seven points per game, four rebounds per game, two and a half assists per game, shooting a career-high 42.3% from the three-point line, playing a career-high 66 games, and that nearly doubles his previous count, showing that he can be a viable rotation option. maybe even a 3 and D option and that’s definitely what the Lakers are looking for here. I mean, if we’re talking about expectations for Jake Theavia, it really does start and end with that with them filling that 3 and Dish or simply two-way player role for their team. I mean, at this point, they don’t really have a big wing that can do it. I know I’ve talked about this a lot, but I’ll continue to talk about it until they fill it or somebody on their team proves that they can fill it. I mean, taking a look at their team, there’s really not an obvious player 2.2 other than maybe Jake Dravia. I mean, Hachimra is great offensively, but not great defensively. Vanderbilt’s great defensively, but not great offensively. Addio obviously could maybe become that one day, but he’s not there quite yet. And Dalton Connect’s not great defensively either. So, only guy in the rotation kind of is Jake Theabia who could maybe fill that role for their team. Like I said, shot 42% from three last season. also posting a plus 1.1 defensive BPM rating, showing that he did have good moments on defense. Though, if you actually watch the tape, he definitely was a bit inconsistent. Definitely going after a few too many passing lanes and trying to steal the ball a bit too much. That resulting in a few too many fouls for him, averaging roughly four of them per 36 minutes, and that’s fairly high for a wing player. also gambling a bit too much, getting left in the dust because he went for a steal either on ball or again playing the passing lanes. That’s something he’s got to be better at, especially if he’s taking on tougher matchups and they’re actually relying on him to stay in front of his matchup, not simply gamble and potentially get lost in the dust again. That’s something he’s got to work on a bit better. And if he hopes to eventually fill that 3 and D role for their team or any other team in the future going forward and well, I’m really not too worried about the three-point shooting part with them. Like I said, he shot well from three last season despite having never shot above 35% prior to last season. I think it was more of a combination of both injuries and lack of playing time or inconsistent playing time that leading to him not finding a rhythm and not being able to say a viable option in the rotation that kind of hurt him more, which he finally got last season and therefore was able to correct it and actually blow away expectations in regard to his three-point shooting, too. Even offense in general, I’m not too worried about it. He has pretty good feel for the game offensively. Can play off the ball, on the ball, attack the rim, shoot from the three-point line, pull up from the mid-range. Jake the Rabia has got a pretty nice offensive game and I’m really not too worried about it, especially if you’re only talking about filling a 3 and Dish kind of role. I mean, that’s simply catch and shoot and pretty much the only requirement offensively. I think he can do that and even more with that with their team offensively. Again, everything from the three-point shooting, on ball, off the ball play, rim penetration, even a pretty good passing wing, I think Jake has a lot to offer in the rotation, especially offensively. You know, it really comes down to defense here in my opinion. If he can kind of take that next step and become more consistent, like I said, we’ve seen flashes of it. I’ve shown clips of it. I’ve broken down parts of his defense in other videos. I mean, if you want to point to a bit more of it and compare it to other guys in the rotation, definitely wouldn’t put him on the level even at his best moments of a Jared Vanderbilt isn’t quite that good at on the ball defense and being a defensive pest. But what he does have over a guy like Hachimura, for example, is the ability to actually move his feet side to side a lot better. the ability to navigate screens and actually keep up with perimeter players, not simply use his height, length, and overall physical build to kind of out muscle players and use that part of his game to help on defense. The Rabia has got both that, the size, the build at 6’8 and roughly a 6’10 wingspan, but he also has the side to side lateral mobility, the perimeter defense ability that some other wing players in their team simply don’t have to offer. So, if he can do that and if he can take that next step, then he could become a true 3 and option for their team. And yes, I definitely think that would translate to not only plenty of playing time for their team, but even a potential future spot on their team and maybe in their starting lineup, too. If and when LeBron retires, that might be a spot open for a guy like Jakeia. That could be something he shoots for longterm with their team. obviously simply shooting for the shorter term beyond that and simply in the present or maybe a longerterm contract beyond this but that’s something to look forward with Jake Rabbia that’s my personal expectation for him and what I’m hoping for him to show this season and probably what the Lakers and JJ Predic are hoping for with him too but then moving on to DeAndre Aton and unlike Jake Dravia my expectation or rather expectations for DeAndre Aton are much less about numbers and stats with him and a whole lot more about encore commitment, commitment to the role the team gives him and simply to their team in general. That’s more so what I’m looking for and what my expectations are with DeAndre. I mean, I’m for one, I’m not worried about his stats and ability to put up 15 and 10 every night. He’s done that. He literally averages 16.4 points per game on his career to go along with 10.5 rebounds per game. I’m not worried about that and that’s not really a fair projection or really a fair expectation. you know, not the about that he can’t do it, but simply about what we’re looking for with him and what he’s looking to prove wrong. I think that’s more about the narrative standpoint. You know, even a lot of that being true according to reports. So, he’s got to prove that he’s committed to their team, that he’s committed to playing defense, even if he’s not featuring the offense to his liking, not featured in the role that he might want or that he envisioned for himself at times or during certain matchups. That’s what he’s got to overcome a whole lot more mentally, narratively, rather than physically, or numbers-wise in the court. It might sound a bit weird, but that’s really what I think he needs to do here. If he can simply become a good teammate again, play the role that he’s given, not look to do too much at times, even though it might help their team, and he definitely has the ability to do it. Whether we’re talking about scoring or being a top two option, that’s not what he should be worried about. You know, funny enough, the most impactful DeAndre Athan season so far may have been his worst statistical season so far. Only averaging, and I really say only averaging in quotation marks here, roughly 14 points per game and 10 and a half rebounds per game, which don’t get me wrong, is not bad. And I would definitely take that with the Lakers team this season. But that actually translated to his best team success that he’s ever played with. That year, Phoenix making their NBA finals run during the 2020 2021 NBA season. Aiden going on to average even better numbers in the postseason, filling his role to perfection and doing exactly what the team wanted and needed from him. Averaging 15.8 points per game during the playoffs, 11.8 rebounds per game, over one block per game, shooting a team high 65.8% allaround being efficient, effective, reliable on both offense and defense. simply filling the role that again they needed him to fill and that translating to his best team success and probably the best he has ever been viewed in the NBA. So in my opinion, him getting back to that and simply filling the role that his team wants and really needs from him would probably be the best pathway for DeAndre both in regard to actual team success again proving the narratives wrong that he can’t or is simply not willing to do it. Obviously playing with Luca Donic and a whole lot better playmaking compared to Portland. I think that would be the best route for him to take and the best route for the team to take with him as well. Really a mutually beneficial thing for both of them if DeAndre can put his ego to the side and not care too much about numbers and get back to caring more about team success again. And well, that’s kind of how I feel about both DeAndre and Jake Theabia going forward with the team and the expectations I have for them. Yes, you can point to or create numbers expectations. Larabia again kind of replicating that 40% plus from three having a positive defensive rating or defensive BPM, whatever you want to point to with them. Aiden maintaining his 14 and 10 or getting back to 15 and 10. I don’t really care too much about that. Yes, obviously a minor requirement. You want them to kind of maintain what they’ve done or even improve upon it, but more so about the role they fill, their commitment to that role, obviously their role players and rotation players for the team. That’s what they got to do and what they got to prioritize going forward. Playing with and behind Luca Donuch and LeBron James, they kind of realize the team they’re playing for and the teammates they’re playing with next season, what those teammates need from them, the role they have to fill, and what the team needs them to do for their team next season. That’s what they got to realize and what they kind of prioritize going forward with the team, too. But with all of that being said, what do you guys think? What are your personal expectations for both DeAndre and Jake Ravier next season? both in regard to numbers, but more so about the individual role they fill, the commitment they need to show and where they need to show it the most, what they have to prove wrong, if anything, and simply how they fulfill those expectations in your personal opinion next season. Let me know your thoughts in the comments down below. But I think that’ll pretty much do it for this one. And if you enjoyed the video, then I’ll greatly appreciate it if you drop a like, subscribe to the channel if you have not already, and hit that notification bell to never miss out when I upload a video. But as always, thank you for watching and have a great day or night.

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