Lakers use unique tactic to motivate Deandre Ayton

Deandre Ayton’s on the juice.

Per ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, training staff members of the Lakers wrap Ayton’s water bottle in athletic tape and use black marker to write “DA’s Crunk Juice – Drink this to unleash the beast,” on the water bottle before games.

Gone are the days of bulletin board material.

In are the days of water bottle material.

LA’s training staff makes graffiti of Ayton’s hydration cure in an effort to motivate the 27-year-old big man.

Whether it’s working is up for debate, though plenty would say the juice isn’t worth the squeeze.

Ayton, 7-foot-0, 252 pounds and in his first season with Los Angeles, is averaging the lowest number of points per game (13.2) in his eight-year career. He’s also collecting single digit rebounds a night (8.5) for the first time. In his defense, Ayton’s also playing the least amount per night of his NBA career (28.2 minutes), though not by much. His career average is 30.5 per game.

The Lakers likely expected more beastly numbers when they inked Ayton to a two-year, $16.6 million deal last July. Instead, he’s at best, the team’s fourth scoring option behind Luka Doncic, LeBron James and Austin Reaves.

Before joining the Lakers, Ayton spent two seasons with Portland and five with the Suns. Phoenix drafted Ayton first overall in 2018. He’s averaged a double-double in each season of his career until the 2025–26 campaign.

The beast, for now, appears to still be on the leash.