Dominance in the paint! The No. 1 center of the Lakers! Scored 14 points on 8 shots, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block.

As we all know, in recent years, the Los Angeles Lakers have been struggling to find a dominant fifth position inside but have failed. Before Anthony Davis was traded to the Dallas Mavericks, he was reluctantly pushed to the five position many times. For this reason, Anthony Davis has publicly expressed his dissatisfaction and anger many times! Because his favorite position is the fourth position, and only by placing him in the fourth position can he perform at his best.

However, due to the fact that the Lakers have never had a qualified No. 5 position, Nongmei had been reluctant to guest-star at the No. 5 position before being traded, just to help the team better guard the penalty area and prevent people from being easily offended.

As everyone knows, with the strong joining of No. 1 center DeAndre Ayton this summer, the Lakers' stubborn problem now seems to be finally cured! Because the arrival of the 2018 No. 1 center has an immediate impact, and now he has truly built a barrier for the Lakers' penalty area, thereby protecting the team's win. Although the 2025-26 regular season has not officially started yet, No. 1 center Ayton, who is getting better in the preseason, has begun to show his dominance inside.

In the Los Angeles Lakers' 126-116 revenge game against the Golden State Warriors, DeAndre Ayton could be said to get what he asked for in the penalty area, and he showed his dominance inside! In this campaign, Deandre Ayton, who served as the Lakers' starting center, played for 26 minutes and 17 seconds, making 6 of 8 shots, 2 of 2 free throws, and efficiently scored 14 points, 8 rebounds (3 offensive boards), 5 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block, with a plus-minus value of +3. Thanks to DeAndre Ayton's overwhelming presence in the penalty area, the Lakers finally succeeded in avenging the Warriors and winning their first preseason victory.

After the game, Lakers head coach JJ Redick spoke highly of starting center Deandre Ayton's performance on both offense and defense. Redick said: Ayton played well in the pick-and-roll, and there were even some opportunities where his teammates failed to find him. This means that although Ayton's performance in this campaign is good enough, he could have performed better because his teammates are not familiar enough with Ayton, who is good at offense and defense. Otherwise, Ayton's statistics in this game may be even better!

When talking about his performance in this game in an interview after the game, Ayton said: "The main thing is to change other people's views on my defense, especially the rim protection part. Redick has always wanted the team's big men to protect the basket, so I just want to be an important part of it and let the world and the league know that I am the Los Angeles Lakers center and the backbone of the defense."

There is no doubt that DeAndre Ayton's speech was loud and very calm and calm! Because Ayton's offensive and defensive performance in the penalty area this night is really worthy of praise, and he has the confidence to say such bold words. Because while Ayton is efficiently playing beautiful statistics in this campaign, he can also help the team win the game easily!

As the chemical reaction between Deandre Ayton and the Lakers team becomes stronger and stronger, and he is getting better and better, he has already played the dominance that the team expects in the penalty area, which also makes people full of higher expectations for the Los Angeles Lakers in the new season. Their weakest No. 5 position in the past has now been perfectly solved, which will definitely make people look forward to the Lakers' championship prospects in the new season!

Just imagine, if Deandre Ayton can really be reborn in Los Angeles and steadily output internal dominance for a long time, then in the new season, the Los Angeles Lakers, who also have Luka Doncic, LeBron James, Austin Reeves, Deandre Ayton, and Marcus Smart, will really have the confidence to compete with any team in the league. What do you think about this?