Deandre Ayton has heard the chatter about the player he is and he’s ready to let his play do the talking with the Lakers.

Wanting to make the other person happy is an essential part of any healthy relationship. That's a lesson that Dallas Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison never learned before trading away franchise cornerstone Luka Dončić, but Rob Pelinka isn't about to make that same mistake now that Luka is a Los Angeles Laker.

However, X (formerly Twitter) user Cranjis McBasketball pointed out that this past season, while with the Portland Trail Blazers, Ayton was the only player in the league with at least an A-minus grade in perimeter isolation defense, help defense talent and rim protection, among other areas, according to Basketball Index.