"He Should Be A 20 And 10 Guy Without LeBron": Shaq And Chuck Call Out New Lakers Addition After Opening Night Performance

The “Inside the NBA” crew is back on TV. That means more shenanigans, more borderline jokes from Charles Barkley, and more players getting called out for not living up to their potential on the court.

Beyond the occasional dig at Kenny Smith’s awkward knees and Ernie Johnson’s questionable love for hip-hop, this show can get serious with its breakdown of team and player performance. When the “Inside the NBA” team made their ESPN debut on Wednesday, larger-than-life analyst Shaquille O’Neal looked straight into the camera and called out one new addition to the Los Angeles Lakers roster.

“Listen DeAndre ‘Dominayton.’ That performance you had yesterday…” O’Neal stops right there and puts up a huge thumbs down. “I need you to step up, my boy.”

Throughout the history of “Inside the NBA” on TNT, O’Neal has called out many big men, sometimes to troll them, other times to issue a challenge to step things up. This time around, the 2000s Lakers legend was pushing the 7-foot Ayton to play like a true giant. “You gotta rebound, you gotta block shots, and you gotta dominate,” Shaq said.

Before anyone thinks that Shaq was doing a JaVale McGee-type of clowning with these comments, they can rewatch the ESPN footage and take note that it was Barkley who started getting on Ayton’s case. As the panelists watched footage of the Lakers’ 119-109 defeat at the hands of the Golden State Warriors, the Chuckster cast the spotlight on the Bahamian big man.

“The only thing I’m watching with the Lakers is DeAndre Ayton. That’s the only difference they made [this offseason],” Barkley asserted. “If Ayton doesn’t play great, the Lakers ain’t gonna beat the top teams in the West.”

To Barkley’s point, Ayton put up numbers that were closer to “solid” than “excellent.” On Tuesday night, the new Lakers center had 10 points, six rebounds, one block, and four turnovers.

Apparently, this stat line was far from what Barkley was expecting. “He should be a 20 and 10 guy without LeBron!” Sir Charles exclaimed at one point.

In the absence of LeBron James, who is out of action for a number of weeks due to nerve issues, the entire Lakers roster is expected to go above and beyond their projected numbers on the stat sheet. Ayton, however, has some extra pressure on him, as his performance from the center position can make life easier for shot-makers like Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves.

Can Ayton put up 20 points and 10 rebounds a night as the Lakers play without their King? That remains to be seen, but there are two late-night NBA analysts who will be watching his next games closely.