標籤: Capela

Deandre Ayton has had a mixed start to life with the Los Angeles Lakers, largely due to his new role with the team. Accustomed to being the focal point on offense, it’s no secret that Ayton has faced his struggles being the defensive lynchpin on an offensively stacked roster.

There was even a feud with Houston Rockets star Clint Capela, with Ayton claiming after a game that the Lakers were trying to make him play like the former Atlanta Hawks man. However, things have changed recently, with the 27-year-old recently telling The Athletic that he has taken a part out of his game.

“That’s a fact. That’s a true fact. But I, I scratched him, I took him out. I said… when it comes to scoring, we don’t need that. We need you to put that energy into offense and defense,” he said.

Lakers fans have been saying this since the beginning. However, it appears Ayton needed a ‘mirror session’ to get it on his game.

“I just started looking in the mirror and saying ‘Yo bro, … you’re not that guy. You don’t need to be on this team at all to do this. This team, you’re here to try and be the guy to shut down possessions, get rebounds, run the floor very hard, do big things, outwork superstars,'” he revealed.

And well, even though it came late, the No. 1 pick of the 2018 draft claimed he’s finally “having fun with it,” which also seems like the way to go. The Lakers are one of the most offensively talented teams in recent NBA history, featuring players like LeBron James, Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves as their Big-3, all three of whom have recently returned to form.

This means that Ayton’s job in the team is to shore up the defense and ensure that his team is not weak inside. This undoubtedly represents a huge difference in what a successful game could look like for Ayton.

“I’m telling you, once I sit that long, that’s usually what happens. It’s like… ‘You got kicked out (of the game) for some reason – think about it. But lately it’s been like, ‘No, DA. You’re good.'” he said.

Ayton said he has ‘completely bought in, 110%’, claiming that he was hoping fans would also be able to see the work he was doing. This coincides with the Lakers’ stellar performance recently, with Ayton finishing with a positive plus/minus in each of his last five games.

DeAndre Ayton recently made headlines when he expressed his frustrations about his role for the Los Angeles Lakers. He was heard saying that the Lakers were turning him into “Clint Capela”, as if that in itself was a bad thing.

It seems as if Ayton wants a bigger role in the Lakers offense rather than being relegated to a roll man/dive option for players like Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves and LeBron James. But Ayton hasn’t shown enough consistency to warrant that kind of involvement in the Lakers offense.

Capela has known her role from day one and has tried to be the best version of herself as possible. And from the perspective of retired big man Channing Frye, he urged the Lakers center to do just that in a fiery speech on the Road Trippin’ Show.

“Deandre Ayton is not an expert at anything. In what world would I play basketball to Deandre Ayton when I’m messing with Austin Reeves, LeBron and Luka. Stop it. You’re going to fire JJ Redick. Who’s running those plays? When have you seen consistency in that guy? You’ve never seen it. So he said, ‘They want me to be Clint Capela.’ “Yeah, crap, he’s averaging double that for most of his career,” Fry said.

Deandre Ayton needs to buy into his role for the Lakers

Ayton’s offensive game hasn’t developed enough for him to be a consistent night-in-night option for the Lakers. It may be better to try to help the Lakers win rather than trying to do it your own way.

The 27-year-old big man has flourished on a winning team in the past, as he was the starting center on a team that was two wins away from winning the title. So it’s not that he doesn’t know what it takes to win. Now maybe it’s time for him to look in the mirror and admit that he probably isn’t “the one.”

Following the Los Angeles Lakers’ loss to the Orlando Magic on Tuesday, Deandre Ayton was heard saying the team has put him in a Clint Capela-like role. Capela, who is currently playing for the Houston Rockets, has made his career as a big man who does the dirty work on the glass and on the defensive end.

Capela was never a major scoring threat in the NBA, and he was never one to take many shots during a game. His career average is 8.1 field goal attempts per game, and in his 12-year career so far, he has only had two seasons where he made double-digit shot attempts.

But then again, Capela was a late first-round draft pick. He was not expected to become any kind of star player. He always knew what his role was in the NBA and he played that role well. Ayton, on the other hand, was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 NBA draft. There has only been one season in his eight-year career where he has attempted fewer than 10 shots per game, and that is this season with the Lakers.

When the Lakers initially signed Ayton as a free agent last offseason, it wasn’t without some doubts. His previous stints with the Phoenix Suns and Portland Trail Blazers were marred by alleged behavioral issues. But Ayton insisted 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 for the Lakers.

Deandre Ayton becoming Clint Capela would help the Lakers

The way Ayton referred to his role in Capela’s transformation made it seem like he was a player of his caliber. But beyond all that, 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 Rockets career averages are 11.1 points, 9.0 rebounds and 1.4 blocked shots while shooting 61.4 percent from the field. During the playoffs, he averaged 8.5 points, 8.4 rebounds and 1.3 blocked shots making 60.2 percent of his shots from the field. Again, Capela knew his role and played it to perfection.

According to Daniel Starkund of Lakers Nation, coming into this season, Ayton himself knew he would have to sacrifice some of his offense while playing alongside Luka Doncic, LeBron James and Austin Reaves. The same three players will have the ball in their hands most of the time and will take the lion’s share of shot attempts. This is not a bad thing and this is how the Lakers should operate.

Ayton has already shown that he can be a good defensive anchor for the Lakers team. He has shown he can be employed on both ends of the court and on the glass. Before the Lakers’ matchup against the Atlanta Hawks on January 13, head coach JJ Redick mentioned how Ayton couldn’t fool anyone by giving up effort on the defensive end on a consistent basis.

“When he’s been engaged, he’s been good. There are some technical things we’ve worked on with him throughout the season, both in his individual workouts and in our defensive circles,” Redick said. “It’s just more consistency. He’s shown he can do that… DeAndre has shown it himself. He can be a really good defender.”

For a Lakers team that has faced problems defensively, Ayton could be the one that can make a big difference. It’s just that he has become more active on the defensive end when he is getting more consistent shot attempts.

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

Capela’s embrace of a role of playing strong defense and driving hard on the glass is important not only to raising the team’s ceiling, but also to furthering his NBA career. Should Ayton exercise his team option, he potentially has one more year remaining on his signed contract with the Lakers.

Whether he stays with the Lakers or chooses to go elsewhere, if he can show that he is capable of playing a Capela-like role, he will find a place in the league. The NBA is often a rude awakening for those who are accustomed to having the ball in their hands and being the primary offensive option. That was Ayton’s role during his lone season in Arizona. That was his role in high school.

But in the NBA, players don’t become No. 1 options at the end of their careers. It’s either there or it’s not. And Ayton has the potential to be a good complimentary player on a winning team. He just needs to understand this before it’s too late.

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.