Lakers can only nod in silence as Clint Capela claps back at Deandre Ayton

Los Angeles Lakers center Deandre Ayton made waves when he stated that the franchise is "trying to make me Clint Capela." It was a comment made within earshot of Dave McMenamin of ESPN, who reported that Ayton added, "I'm not no Clint Capela!"

Though the comments have likely been misconstrued by this point, Capela responded in a way that reminded Ayton of the golden opportunity he's arguably overlooking in his discontent.

An admittedly uneducated guess from this writer would be that Ayton didn't mean to insult Capela, but instead compared their respective skill sets. Ayton is a player who prefers to operate with the ball in his hands and create from the low and mid-post areas, whereas Capela is more of a pick and roll big who dominates the offensive glass.

In response to being directly named in Ayton's expression of frustration, Capela reminded his contemporary of a simple fact: He's playing with two of the best floor generals in the NBA in Luka Doncic and LeBron James.

To paraphrase: Focus on what two All-World playmakers can do for you rather than what the system isn't necessarily asking you for at this juncture.

Clint Capela hits Deandre Ayton with simple advice: "Lock in"

Ayton, 28, is an eight-year veteran who is playing for his third team in four seasons. He was bought out of his contract during the 2025 offseason and was ultimately signed to a two-year, $16.208 million contract by the Lakers that includes a second-year player option.

For a former No. 1 overall draft pick who's still just 27 years of age and has already been to the NBA Finals as a starter, it's easy to understand why career instability would have Ayton frustrated.

The reality of the way the Lakers are constructed, however, is that they were always going to run their offense through the three-headed monster of Luka Doncic, LeBron James, and Austin Reaves. Doncic and James are former scoring champions with résumés full of All-NBA nods, and Reaves has been Los Angeles' prized success story as he's evolved into a star in his own right.

An argument could be made that the Lakers could be doing more to incorporate Ayton into their offensive plans, but the reality remains that the team has needs at center that he either helps address or doesn't.

Lakers need Deandre Ayton to excel in similar areas to Clint Capela

Los Angeles is the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference, but it's also No. 24 in defensive rating and offensive rebounding percentage. With this in mind, it needs its starting center to protect the paint, crash the offensive glass, and act as something of an anchor on both ends of the floor.

That may not be the role that Ayton prefers to play, but the Lakers can't do anything to change the roster around him until the offseason—when he'll be eligible for unrestricted free agency.

Playing the Capela role may not perfectly suit Ayton, and JJ Redick needs to find a way to keep his starting center happy, but proving that he's willing to sacrifice for the team is an essential step that every player must take. Doing so—primarily by increasing his consistency on defense—can help him make a stronger case for himself on offense.

If nothing else, Ayton has a chance to utilize the help of a superstar-caliber cast of playmakers to adapt and thrive. The Lakers can only hope he'll take Capela's advice.