Can Luka and Ayton Be a Good Duo?

July 2, 2025

Can Luka and Ayton Become the Duo That Changes Everything for the Lakers?

There was a time, not long ago, when the idea of Deandre Ayton and Luka Dončić playing together seemed like an internet what-if thread. Something you say in a group chat for laughs. Ayton, the number one overall pick in 2018, had been drafted by the Phoenix Suns instead of Dončić. And Luka, the third pick that same year, was traded on draft night from Atlanta to Dallas before ever putting on a Hawks jersey. That one night shaped the future of two franchises and created entirely different career paths for two players who were once considered faces of the NBA’s next generation. Fast forward to July 2025, and they’re both wearing purple and gold.

Deandre Ayton officially joined the Los Angeles Lakers on a two-year deal after his buyout from the Portland Trail Blazers. For many, the reaction was mixed. Some saw a failed top pick with unfulfilled potential joining a team that has been searching for frontcourt answers ever since Anthony Davis’ body started betraying him more often than not. Others saw something more subtle—a player who may not have lived up to expectations, but who now has a chance to start over. And most importantly, he’s now next to Luka Dončić, who just might be the most brilliant offensive engine in the game today.

The Lakers were not the team many imagined for Ayton. For weeks, rumors circled about potential landings in Miami or a possible return to Phoenix. But none of those stories were real. Portland, after just one season with Ayton, decided to move on. Despite respectable averages of 14.4 points and 10.2 rebounds last season, it was the behind-the-scenes issues that wore thin—missed flights, lateness, locker room silence when leadership was needed. He wasn’t a cancer, but he wasn’t a fix either. He was somewhere in between. A big man with size, athleticism, and soft touch, but one who didn’t inspire fear in opponents or confidence in teammates. That changes now. Because whether he likes it or not, he’s walking into a team that expects fire, consistency, and responsibility from day one.

Luka Dončić, for his part, might be the best thing that’s ever happened to Ayton’s career. Luka doesn’t just need talent around him. He needs willing finishers. Bigs who can set screens, roll hard, and convert easy looks when the defense collapses on him. Ayton can do all of that—and when motivated, he does it very well. During his early years with Phoenix, he played that exact role beside Devin Booker and Chris Paul. He wasn’t the star, but he was critical in their Finals run. He rebounded, protected the rim, and played within himself. But when CP3 faded and roles shifted, so did Ayton’s performance. He didn’t want to be a third option forever. But in Los Angeles, he might not have a choice.

Luka is the system. There is no debate about that. Everything flows through his hands, through his mind, through his rhythm. When he gets hot, the whole team burns. When he slows down, the court becomes molasses. And now, for the first time in years, he has a true center who doesn’t need touches to be effective. Ayton may want them, sure. Every big does. But this is no longer Phoenix, and it’s definitely not Portland. He is joining a team where every move matters. Where every second is judged. He’s playing in the city that will criticize a 25-point win if the effort looked off.

And that’s the beautiful chaos of the Lakers. No matter what year it is, or who wears the jersey, the expectations never dim. Luka knows that. He wanted this pressure. He chose this spotlight. The trade that brought him to L.A. was more than a blockbuster—it was a statement. The franchise was no longer hedging on the future or patching things together with aging stars. They wanted a real cornerstone. And now that they have Luka, their job is to build around him. Ayton might just be the most important piece in that puzzle.

Ayton doesn’t have to be Shaquille O’Neal. He doesn’t need to dominate 40 minutes a night. But he does need to play with purpose. He has to be the rebounder who makes sure Luka doesn’t carry the entire load. He has to be the body that sets hard screens, boxes out, rotates quickly on defense, and finishes dunks without hesitating. If he can become that, the Lakers won’t just be good. They’ll be terrifying.

Of course, none of this is guaranteed. On paper, everything looks cleaner than it ever does on the court. Ayton has had motivation issues before. Luka has had defensive lapses. They’re not perfect. But they don’t need to be. They just need to be functional together. They need to become the kind of duo that causes mismatches and problems, that runs a pick-and-roll every defense fears, and that understands the pressure they’re under.

Luka will do his part. He always does. But this story isn’t about him as much as it is about Ayton. Because for all the criticism Luka has received over the years—his defense, his fitness, his ball dominance—no one has ever accused him of not caring. He plays to win. Every night. Ayton hasn’t always shown that. And now, with this second chance in one of the league’s most intense markets, he has to prove that the criticism was premature. That he isn’t a bust. That he’s not just a decent big man with a top-pick salary. That he is, finally, a competitor.

There’s something poetic about all of this. Luka and Ayton, picks one and three from the same draft, finally sharing the floor on the same team. One has exceeded expectations and is still hungry. The other has disappointed and is starving for redemption. Together, they might just find a balance. A real connection. Not a superteam. Not a dynasty. Just two guys who were supposed to carry teams and are now trying to carry each other. That’s what makes this so compelling. Not the stats. Not the contracts. But the story. Two players who took very different paths, ending up in the same place, with the same goal. To win. To matter. To finally silence everything behind them.

If they click, this might be one of the best basketball partnerships of the decade. If they don’t, the questions will return. The headlines will write themselves. Ayton will get moved again. Luka will keep searching. And the Lakers will once again become the place where almost worked becomes not good enough.

But right now? Right now there’s belief. There’s hope. There’s a team that’s betting on talent and timing over hype and history. Luka finally has his big man. Ayton finally has a system. The stage is set. Now we watch.

Focus Keywords: Luka Doncic Lakers, Deandre Ayton Lakers, Luka Ayton duo