Is DeAndre Ayton the missing piece for the Lakers?

What's going on S.O.B Family! Can DeAndre Ayton be the missing Piece the Los Angeles Lakers need?

In a very crowded Western Conference, it just might not be enough. We've seen Kevin Durant and Clint Capela head to Houston, Mavericks adding Cooper Flagg and D'Angelo Russell, Nuggets adding Tim Hardaway and Cam Johnson, etc. The Western Conference looks stronger than ever and if you're going to compete in this league, you're going to need a dominant big man. Just ask the OKC Thunder.

2024-2025 Stats for Ayton: 14.4 ppg/ 10.2 reb/ 1.6 ast/ and 56.6% from the field, which would be 12th best in the league. The biggest problem everyone has with Ayton is thWe all remember about the questions J.J Reddick had to answer about not playing Jackson Hayes in their close out game against the Denver Nuggets. They lost the series 4-1 and felt the impact of not having a dominant big. Nikola Jokic averaged 25.8 ppg/ 12.5 reb/ 8.6 ast in the series against the Lakers and it was clear Anthony Davis was missed.

Is Ayton the missing piece though? I don't think so. If we learned ANYTHING in this year's playoffs, it's that you need depth! You quite literally need a bench that can come in and perform. Let's look at the Lakers bench:

Jordan Goodwin, Gabe Vincent, Dalton Knecht, Jarred Vanderbilt, and Maxi Kleber...

In the words of Kendrick Lamar "IT'S NOT ENOUGH"! If the Lakers plan on contending in the stacked Western Conference, it's going to take a lot more than what they have currently. LeBron James is that man but let's not forget that Father Time catches up with everyone. The Lakers are maybe 2 more pieces away from reaching another Western Conference Finals.