Lakers’ New Additions Named ‘Most Overrated’ Players Since 2020

The Los Angeles Lakers knew they had to find offseason talent to fill holes in their roster that were prevalent by the time they lost in the first round of the playoffs. They went out and got Deandre Ayton at center and Marcus Smart at guard, two players who’ve had ups and downs in their careers. 

While Ayton is a former first overall pick and Smart is a Defensive Player of the Year, Bleacher Report named both as some of the most overrated players in the NBA since 2020. While the Lakers signed both in an attempt to bolster their roster, specifically defensively, Ayton and Smart might look better on paper than on the court. 

“(Ayton’s) defensive engagement is prone to mountainous peaks yet even starker valleys. Ditto for his presence on the glass. His teams have defended better with him on the floor exactly once since 2020-21,” Dan Favale wrote on Ayton, before then mentioning Smart.

“Out of the 155 other players to attempt as many shots since 2020-21, Smart’s 50.1 effective field-goal percentage ranks 143rd…Smart looked out of his depth when used as an on-ball initiator long before leaving the Boston Celtics.”

Ayton and Smart signed with the Lakers after agreeing to contract buyouts with the Portland Trail Blazers and Washington Wizards. While Los Angeles was hoping for bigger-name players, they got these two for a combined $13.2 million in 2025-26.

Ayton’s Steady Fall Before Joining The Lakers

Even early in his career, few people saw Ayton as the top player in his draft class. But his fall over the past few years was something not many expected, especially after his performance helping the Phoenix Suns make the 2021 NBA Finals. 

But since then, things haven’t been great. Favale highlighted ‘problematic behind-the-scenes behavior,‘ defensive shortfalls, lack of ability to get shots up at the rim or from the free throw line, all on a big contract, which makes him a perfect fit for this list. 

“Iztok Franko of the Diggin Basketball substack recently ranked Ayton as the seventh-best center in the West, ahead of names like Isiah Hartenstein, Dereck Lively II and Walker Kessler,” Favale added. “Yet he still needed to note that “‘there’s also a real chance he falls out of the top 10, maybe even the top 15, if he doesn’t turn things around in Los Angeles.‘”

Before signing the two-year $16 million deal with the Lakers this summer, Ayton had a four-year $132 million contract with the Suns that he signed in 2022. 

The counting statistics are there: Ayton has averaged at least 16 points and ten rebounds a game for his entire career, one of only seven players in the league to do so. But it’s the way he gets there, and the space he takes up on the court, that leads him to land on the ‘most overrated players since 2020′ list.

Smart Went From DPOY To Barely Staying On The Court

Smart’s had a similar path to Ayton, but one with higher peaks and lower valleys. He was a fan favorite in his time with the Celtics, playing on the green and white for the first nine years of his career.

In 2022, he became the first guard to win Defensive Player of the Year since Gary Payton did it in 1995-96. But since then, Smart has had a steep decline. Much to do with injuries, but also the fact that the defensive production fell off a cliff. 

“There’s also something to be said about a body of defensive work that hasn’t quite lived up to its legend,” Favale wrote. “The level of responsibility he carries will always be immense, but even during the season in which he won Defensive Player of the Year (2021-22), there’s a real debate to be had about whether he was even the most valuable defensive player on his own team.”

Smart has played in just 54 games over the past two years, going from a consistent starter in Boston to someone barely seeing time on the floor with pretty low efficiency numbers. He has shot only 38.8% from the field in his career, and though previously considered a reliable perimeter defender, brings little to the table on the offensive side of the ball. 

“He’s finished higher than the 19th percentile in turnover rate just once these past five years,” Favale added. “The passing struggles have reached new levels of alarming in his (admittedly) few appearances post-Beantown.”

The Lakers didn’t make a massive gamble signing Ayton and Smart, but are they going to be the difference between a first-round exit and a championship? Probably not.