PALM DESERT — The two plays didn’t go Deandre Ayton’s way, but they didn’t fully define his game.

At the 6:48 mark of the first quarter of the Lakers’ blowout preseason-opening loss to the Phoenix Suns on Friday , Ayton caught an entry pass from Austin Reaves just three feet from the basket after creating advantageous positioning on his postup against Suns big man Oso Ighodaro.

Just a single second passed after Ayton caught the ball before he flung a baby hook shot toward the basket for his first field-goal attempt as a Laker, with the ball hitting the back of the rim and being rebounded by Grayson Allen .

Nearly a full quarter later, Ayton got his next best opportunity to score his first points – albeit in a preseason game – with the Lakers. Reaves rejected a screen from Rui Hachim

See Full Page