Pierce: Ayton + Lakers, it would be nice to pass the first round, Horry: Ayton has reached the finals

In the offseason, so far, the Lakers' biggest reinforcement was to sign 2018 No. 1 pick DeAndre Aiton.

As for Ayton's joining and the Lakers' expected goals for the new season, each star still gave some comments!

Pearce: I don't think Ayton can help the Lakers make a significant improvement. Being able to pass the first round is to exceed the task.

Pearce said that if the Lakers sign Jokic or Antetokounmpo, they will indeed have the ability to compete for the championship, but they only sign Ayton.

Although Ayton can become the Lakers' frame protector, aerial contacts, and a sense of presence in the penalty area, he is just a player who is still looking for positioning. After entering the league for 6 years, this is already his third team. It is too unrealistic to expect him to change the Lakers too much.

I have to say that the words are rough but not rough, and Pierce's point of view is quite pertinent. Even no matter how popular Lakers fans are, they shouldn't naively think that one Ayton can help the Lakers achieve a qualitative leap.

Lakes were blackmailed by the Timberwolves in the first round last season. They exposed many shortcomings and deficiencies, and Ayton cannot completely make up for these. In other words, even if one Ayton is added, the Lakers last season still cannot beat the Timberwolves last season. How can they compete for the championship?

Pearce also added that the Lakers have been out of the first round for three consecutive years (actually two years), and what they need is to improve their defensive ability. Moreover, James is one year older in the new season, and the Lakers' lineup is still insufficient. In the Lakers' new season, it is already an over-complete task to pass the first round.

Indeed, if the reinforcement stops, it is already very good for the Lakers to pass the first round in the new season. The Lakers can be said to be unable to beat the Thunder, Nuggets, Rockets, and Timberwolves in the West.

However, former Lakers player Robert Horry also has a different view on Pierce's view.

He said that people are despising and underestimating Ayton. Ayton is the No. 1 pick in the NBA, and during the Suns, he has helped the Suns reach the Finals. Ayton is not the core player who can lead the team to win the championship, but he is the player who can help you win the championship.

Horry joked again, but he wore my No. 5 jersey (Horry wore No. 5 in the Lakers), so I don't like him anymore.

The person involved Ayton also expressed his thoughts. He said that the reason for joining the Lakers is because the Lakers want to win, and he also wants to win, so joining the Lakers is a good choice, and this is a good opportunity.

However, netizens and fans are still skeptical about Aidon's mention that he wants to win. After all, after losing the 2021 finals, Aidon's attitude suffered a lot of doubts, and was also teased as "Female Ai", who has a basketball cleanliness, etc.

Indeed, Ayton actually had a good performance in the Suns. In the year of reaching the finals, it was crucial that he had an all-time win against the Suns. In the first game of the finals, it was almost 20+20. However, that year the Suns were reversed by the Bucks, and then the Suns also had an unhappy relationship with Ayton, which affected Ayton's mentality and his condition also declined sharply.

Aiton also mentioned that Doncic, who is the same age, has been able to take over the game, and he needs to prove himself even more.

I don't know if it can inspire Ayton's desire to win and regain his passion for playing. If he can regain his form in 2021, it will be very beneficial for the Lakers.