Los Angeles Lakers center Deandre Ayton made waves when he reportedly complained about how head coach JJ Redick is utilizing him within the game plan. Ayton is said to have directly named Clint Capela, a 12-year veteran with 65 postseason starts, as the player archetype his coaches are asking him to fit despite it not being his preferred style of play.
Redick will ultimately need to find common ground with Ayton to ensure that he's both happy with his usage and willing to do what the team needs, but the Capela role is working.
Los Angeles is 32-21 when Ayton plays and 5-3 when he doesn't. Unfortunately, they're also outscoring opponents by 2.6 points per 100 possessions when he's off the court and are being outscored by 2.2 when he's on it.
Considering the Lakers are 13 games clear of .500 with a net rating of just 0.3, however, it's safe to say that the metrics need to be taken with a grain of salt considering the mercurial nature of the team.
What's proven by the win-loss record, however, is that Los Angeles has lackluster options at center when Ayton isn't available. As such, they have an unavoidable need for the former No. 1 overall draft pick to thrive in his role and provide value that his teammates thus far haven't been able to.
The proof is in the pudding, as Ayton has directly influenced an arguably elite level of play when he's embraced the very attributes that defined Capela's success: Defense and rebounding.
Lakers continue to win when Deandre Ayton plays like Clint Capela
Los Angeles is riding high off of a third consecutive win, this time defeating the New Orleans Pelicans 110-101. Ayton stepped up at center, posting 13 points, eight rebounds, three offensive rebounds, one assist, and two blocks in 25 minutes.
Those may not seem like awe-inspiring numbers, but there are two key statistics with correlations to winning: Three offensive rebounds and two blocks.
The Lakers are now 11-1 when Ayton records at least two blocks in a single game this season. Furthermore, they're 15-8 when he pulls down at least three offensive rebounds and 17-13 when he plays but fails to reach that mark.
That's a difference in winning percentage of .652 to .566, which equates to a 53-win season versus a 46-win campaign.
Deandre Ayton is often the deciding factor between good and great
Consider that Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks reached the 2021 Eastern Conference Finals with Capela averaging 4.7 offensive rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game. He offered similar production when James Harden and the Houston Rockets reached the 2018 Western Conference Finals at 3.3 offensive rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game.
Capela is admittedly more limited offensively than Ayton, but he found his lane and helped his team win by creating second chances and offering resistance at the rim when few teammates were able to.
It must be reiterated that Redick needs to find a way to appeal to Ayton's preferred style of play on offense to bring the most out of him on defense. In saying that, the Lakers are in a similar position to the Hawks and Rockets, and thus need Ayton to, "Lock in," as Capela described it, to give Los Angeles a realistic shot at winning meaningful games.
If Ayton is willing to embrace the Capela-like elements of the role the Lakers need him to fill, then victory should be a consistent result in Los Angeles.