Why Deandre Ayton has to accept the Clint Capela role he hates because of the Lakers’ success

Following Los Angeles Lakers‘ loss to the Orlando Magic on Tuesday, Deandre Ayton has been heard complaining about the team seemingly putting him in a Clint Capela lookalike role. Capela, who currently plays for the Houston Rockets, built his career on being the big man who did the dirty work on the glass and on the defensive end.

Capela was never much of a scoring threat in the NBA, and he was never one to shoot much during the game. He has a career average of 8.1 field goal attempts per game, and during his 12-year career thus far, he has only had two seasons in which he has had double-digit field goal attempts.

But then again, Capela was a late first round draft pick. He was never expected to turn into a star of any kind. He always knew what his role was in the NBA and played that role to perfection. Ayton, on the other hand, was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft. There was only one season in his eight-year career in which he had fewer than 10 shots per game, and that was this season with the Lakers.

When the Lakers initially signed Ayton as a free agent last offseason, it wasn’t without some reservations. His previous stops were with the Phoenix Suns and the Portland Trail Blazers were overshadowed by reported behavioral problems. But Aiton insisted that he knew what was at stake in terms of his career when he joined the Lakers.

And now, more than halfway through the season, some of those issues are starting to resurface. But if Deandre Ayton wants to continue to shape his image and the overall perception of him in a good way, he needs to embrace Clint Capela’s role with the Lakers.

Deandre Ayton becoming Clint Capela will help the Lakers

The way Ayton talked about his role as a convert to Capella seemed to suggest it was beneath a player of his caliber. But all that aside, Capela actually played a major role as the starting center during a period when the Rockets were viewed as a legitimate contender in the Western Conference.

His career averages with the Rockets are 11.1 points, 9.0 rebounds and 1.4 blocks while shooting 61.4 percent from the field. During the playoffs, he averaged 8.5 points, 8.4 rebounds and 1.3 blocks on 60.2 percent shooting from the field. Again, Capella knew his role and played it to perfection.

Going into this season, Ayton knew he was he will have to sacrifice himself some of his fouls while playing with Luka Doncic, LeBron James and Austin Reaves, per Daniel Starkand of Lakers Nation. Those three players will always have the ball in their hands most of the time and will take the lion’s share of the shot attempts. That’s not bad, and that’s how the Lakers should do it.

Ayton has already shown that he can be a good defensive anchor for this Lakers team. He showed that he can be engaged on both ends of the court and on the glass. Before the Lakers played the Atlanta Hawks on Jan. 13, head coach JJ Reddick mentioned that Ayton can’t fool anyone in terms of the effort he can bring to the defensive end on a consistent basis.

“When he’s been involved, he’s been good. There’s some techniques we’ve been working on with him all season, in his individual workouts and our defensive shells,” Redick said. “It’s just more consistency. He’s shown he can do it … Deandre told himself. He can be a really good defender.”

For a Lakers team that has struggled defensively, Ayton can be a big difference piece. It’s just that he was more engaged defensively when he was consistently getting shot attempts.

However, there is a trade-off to that. Ayton is attempting a career-low 9.0 shots, but is shooting a career-high 66.7 percent from the field. Playing alongside creators like Doncic, James and Reaves, the quality of looks he will get will be better.

Capela’s acceptance of the role of playing strong defense and hitting the glass hard is not only key to raising the team’s ceiling, but also to prolonging his NBA career. Ayton potentially has one year left on his contract with the Lakers if he exercises his team option.

Whether he stays with the Lakers or decides to go elsewhere, if he can show he can embrace that Capela-like role, he’ll have a place in the league. The NBA is often a rude awakening for guys who are used to having the ball in their hands and being the primary offensive option. That was Ayton’s role during his lone season at Arizona. That was his role in high school.

But in the NBA, players don’t just blossom into No. 1 options late in their careers. It’s either there or it’s not. Ayton has the ability to be a good player on a winning team. He just needs to figure it out before it’s too late.