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When Deandre Ayton joined the Lakers, he said all the right things. He talked about proving his critics wrong and not taking this opportunity for granted.
For a while, it worked. In November, Ayton was the best version of himself, averaging 16.6 points and nine rebounds per game. Recently, though, his scoring has dropped, his defensive aggression has evaporated and he’s been benched during clutch games.
It seems Ayton isn’t thrilled with his role on the Lakers and was recently overheard in the locker room saying, “They’re trying to make me Clint Capela. I’m not no Clint Capela!” as reported by Dave McMenamin of ESPN.
What’s wild about Ayton’s quote, besides the fact that he’s dissing one of his peers, is that Capela is exactly the kind of big man the Lakers desire. He’s an important part of the Rockets’ rotation and does all the little things that impact winning.
Ayton’s words caused quite a buzz on social media, so much so that Capela went on Instagram and encouraged Ayton to lock in with his floor generals.
It feels like Ayton has been told by everyone who has ever cheered for him to lock in, but it hasn’t ever consistently come to fruition. If things keep trending negatively in LA, you can add this stop as another in his career where the sizzle was far more enjoyable than the steak.
To make this entire situation even worse for Ayton, Capela outplayed him on Thursday night. Capela was hustling hard, helping the Rockets beat the Magic 113-108.
Ayton, on the other hand, was rather pedestrian during his performance in LA’s loss to Phoenix.
The box score comparison between the two bigs matched the eye test. Capela ended the night with four points, six rebounds and two blocks in his 17 minutes off the bench. Ayton had two points and four rebounds in his 23 minutes as a starter.
Capela took the petty route with his response to Ayton, and considering who he was reacting to, most won’t have a problem with it.
Also, Capela’s right. Ayton does have to lock in, and playing more like Capela would be better for everyone involved.
As has been true for a lot of his career, Ayton just doesn’t seem to get it.
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.