Deandre Ayton, the first overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, doesn’t appear happy with his role on the Los Angeles Lakers.
According to Dave McMenamin of ESPN, after the Lakers lost to the Orlando Magic on Tuesday, February 24, Ayton made his way back toward the showers and said, “They’re trying to make me Clint Capela. I’m not no Clint Capela!”
Ayton is in his first season with the Lakers. He’s averaging 13.2 points, 8.5 rebounds and 0.9 blocks per game while shooting 66.7% from the field and 67.8% from the free-throw line.
The Lakers signed Ayton last offseason after the center was bought out by the Portland Trail Blazers. Ayton has been inconsistent with Los Angeles. He had the same issues with the Phoenix Suns and Trail Blazers, two teams that were eager to part ways with the big man.
“I think he’s done OK,” Lakers guard Marcus Smart said about Deandre Ayton. “He definitely could be better, we all could. But the thing I love about it is he understands it and he’s working. We all are trying to figure it out; this is new to everybody. He’s doing his best, but he understands it’s another notch that we need him to go to, and we’re going to try to get him there and help with that. But he knows he’s got to do his part as well.”
The Lakers are in sixth place in the Western Conference standings. Ayton is making $8.1 million this season. He has a player option worth the same amount for next season.
Los Angeles has 25 games left in the regular season. If Ayton doesn’t finish the campaign strong, the Lakers will likely continue to struggle.
“When he’s at his best, and we’ve seen it, we’ve seen glimpses of it, he’s playing with force,” a Lakers source told ESPN. “And that’s playing with great force on both ends of the floor when it comes to screening. Then rolling and putting pressure on the rim; [when the] shot goes up, crashing the glass; sprinting back in transition; loading to the basketball; calling out your communication; being in the right positioning; contesting shots; boxing out. Those things for a big are just really thankless when you’re a skilled big. But on this team, that’s what his role is. He has to be a dirt worker.”
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