Deandre Ayton, “role player” discomfort?

Funny return to Phoenix for Deandre Ayton. Before the meeting, ESPN reported so article summarizing the difficult equation for the pivot, the Lakers asking him to do the dirty work for Luka Doncic, LeBron James and Austin Reeves. The former No. 1 draft pick is trying… but it’s not without frustration.

“They’re trying to make me Clint Capela” the Bahamian would shout as he headed for the shower, while the journalists still present in the dressing room could hear him. “I’m not Clint Capella!” »

“You could definitely do better, as could we all”

Obviously, Los Angeles would like him to simply keep opponents out of the circle on defense while moving quickly up the field to finish counters, or failing that, setting screens for ball carriers to finish in the lane on a set play. The role is certainly limited, a la Clint Capela, but useful.

A role in which it is logically difficult to get through, while the opponents only lower the percentage of success (DFG%) close to the circle by just 3.4 percentage points, which ranks him 32nd (of 44) among pivots who have played more than 45 games this season, between Alperen Sengun etc Karl-Anthony Towns.

“He’s doing pretty well.”Marcus Smart assured this week. “He could definitely do better, like all of us. But what I like about him is that he’s aware of it and he’s working hard. We’re all trying to figure things out, it’s new for everyone. He’s doing his best, but he understands that he has to shift gears and we’re going to try to help him do that. He knows he has to do his part.”

Issue? The meeting in Phoenix clearly highlighted Deandre Ayton’s limitations in his role with the Lakers.

We saw him multiple times in discussions with Marcus Smart, on offense and defense, as he struggled to position himself or make an extra effort to disrupt a Suns team that was very wide.

“He’s probably worse than Clint Capela tonight”

The result: he finished the match with just 2 points on the clock, 1/3 shooting and a terrible +/- of -24 in 22 minutes on the floor. JJ Redick notably went without him for nearly the entire fourth quarter, which is becoming a habit for the coach, who prefers to rely on “small ball” when things get tight.

“He’s probably worse than Clint Capela tonight” couldn’t help but ironically be Eddie Johnson, who was commentating the match for Suns TV.

Make sure Deandre Ayton isn’t the source of all the Lakers’ ills. Certainly, his influence is haphazard and often disappointing, but it must be remembered that he is ultimately just a cheap patch for a club looking for a center of influence to help Luka Doncic, but who do not have the financial flexibility to bring him in.

Clint Capela-style profiles, capable of effectively defending the circle while knowing how to set good screens and finish the pick-and-roll, are expensive. And it’s not that easy to become one…

How to read statistics? MJ = matches played; Min = Minute; Shots = Shots Successful / Shots Attempted; 3 points = 3 points / attempt 3 points; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive jump; Tot = Total number of jumps; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal mistakes; Int = intercepts; Bp = lost balls; Ct: Against; Points = Points.