The Los Angeles Lakers got their much-needed center over the offseason in DeAndre Ayton, and Paolo Mariano of ClutchPoints believes the former No. 1 overall pick is due for a breakout season.

After sending Anthony Davis to the Dallas Mavericks for Luka Doncic, the Lakers have been missing a clear presence in their frontcourt. Ayton will help fill that void, and Mariano believes the ability of his surrounding cast will propel him to a career-best season.

“But if there’s one player who should also make his mark, it’s Ayton,” Mariano writes. “He has yet to fulfill his full potential since being drafted as the first overall pick in 2018. He has already been surpassed by his batchmates like Doncic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder, Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks, Jalen Brunson of the New York Knicks, and Jaren Jackson Jr. of the Memphis Grizzlies in terms of achievements.

“Now, Ayton has a good chance to host his coming-out party with the Lakers. He should benefit from pick-and-roll sets and become a lob threat. With the unselfishness of Doncic, James, and Reaves, Ayton should get ample opportunities to score.”

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Lakers team president and general manager Rob Pelinka holds the same view as Mariano, and is particularly proud of his decision to sign him.

“When you have Deandre Ayton in pick-and-rolls with Austin Reaves, Luka and LeBron, his ability to catch passes in the short roll, we’ve already seen some of that in sort of the player workouts that have been going on,” Pelinka said. “He’s also a lob threat. So just adding that dimension, his size, is very real.”

Ayton, despite having not reached his full potential yet, has put together a solid career, and has averaged a double-double every season since his rookie year.

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The seven-footer spent the first five seasons of his NBA career with the Phoenix Suns, where he averaged 16.7 points and 10.4 rebounds per game. The Suns traded him to the Portland Trail Blazers in the three-team trade which sent Damian Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks, and he had fairly similar numbers there.

Despite the consistency of his stats over the course of his career, Ayton will be playing with a team better than any he’s been on before. With Doncic, James and Reaves all looking to him, he could very well meet the expectations of both Mariano and Pelinka.

For more news and notes on the Los Angeles Lakers, visit Los Angeles Lakers on SI.