DeAndre Ayton had one of his best games as part of the Los Angeles Lakers when they faced the Orlando Magic, scoring 21 points and 13 rebounds. Although they still lost, Ayton showed what he can do when he is involved in the offense, making him more active on the other side of the ball.
After the game, Ayton was asked if he felt his effort was being recognized by his teammates.
"The ball gets energy," Ayton said, via Dave McMenamin of ESPN. “When I'm out there and sealing and they believe in me and they see me sprinting to the sideline and crashing, they reward me.”
After doing media, Ayton went to the showers and yelled, "They're trying to make me Clint Capela."
This seems to be a reference to how Capela has been used for most of his career, which is as a rim-running, lob threat who can grab rebounds at a high level. Ayton is basically saying that there's more to his game than that, and he'd probably like to utilize his strengths more.
Unfortunately for Ayton, his role on the Lakers is very similar to Capela's, according to a team source.
"When he's at his best, and we've seen it, we've seen glimpses of it, he's playing with power," the team source said. “And playing with great strength on both ends of the floor when it comes to screening. Then rolling and putting pressure on the rim; [when the] The bullet goes up, breaking the glass; running backs in transition; Loading for basketball; Calling your communication; To be in perfect condition; Competitive shots; Boxed out. These things are really thankless for big guys when you're a skilled big guy. But that's his role in this team.”
With all the other talent on the Lakers like Luka Doncic, LeBron James and Austin Reaves, it will be hard for Ayton to become who he truly believes he is.
