Deandre Ayton shot his way into the Lakers' history books on Sunday.
The Los Angeles Lakers may have had an up and down ride in their last few games, but they came back strong with a 110-93 win over the Toronto Raptors on Sunday.
It was an efficient shooting day for the Lakers as they shot 48% from the field and 39% from three point range.
Most efficient among the Lakers was Deandre Ayton, who scored a 25 point, 13 rebound double-double while shooting a perfect 10-10 from the field.
A Historic Performance
That performance puts Ayton in rare territory as just the fourth Laker with a 25+ point, 10+ rebound game with a perfect field goal percentage. Ayton joined Wilt Chamberlain, Shaquille O'Neil and Mitch Kupchak on that esteemed list.
Ayton may have had a hot an cold season, but for the most part he's been the center that the Lakers were looking for going into this season.
Above all else, Ayton has been known for his efficiency in scoring. He is second in the entire NBA in field goal percentage at 68% and he's utilized that efficiency to be a major impact player for the Lakers when they've needed consistent inside scoring.
How Ayton Can Take Over a Game
"He [Ayton] was phenomenal. He's had a number of these games where he scores efficiently, but really just from a production standpoint, to get 20+ points, 10+ rebounds, he's had games like this. It's a huge thing for our team," Lakers head coach JJ Redick said (via The Sporting Tribune).
Getting a center has been a major priority for the Lakers for years now, going back to their failed experiment of playing Anthony Davis at the five, which eventually led to Davis' dissatisfaction that propelled the Luka Doncic trade.
The Lakers' Journey to a Center
The next phase of the Lakers' quest to finding a center was in trading for Mark Williams, which fell through due to Williams failing his physical.
All of those trials led to the Lakers' acquiring Ayton, and he's contributed the closing thing to stability that the Lakers have had at the center position in a long time.
The peak of Ayton's efficiency was on display against the Raptors, so much that it's propelled him into the Los Angeles history books.
"As the game progressed he made some really tough catches in traffic and then he was able to score the basketball."
The Lakers will need Ayton more than ever as they progress through the rest of the season and look to recover from their recent skid and compete in the tough Western Conference.