Deandre Ayton’s role with the Los Angeles Lakers has become a growing point of discussion, and this week it boiled over after comments he made about how he views himself on the floor.
Ayton pushed back on comparisons to Houston Rockets center Clint Capela, suggesting he sees his game as more than that of a rebound-and-lob big man.
The timing raised eyebrows, especially given the reality of Ayton’s situation in Los Angeles.
After a buyout from the Portland Trail Blazers, Ayton joined a Lakers team led offensively by LeBron James, Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.
Opportunities are limited, and production often comes from doing the smaller things consistently.
That disconnect didn’t sit well with Lakers legend Shaquille O’Neal, who unloaded on Ayton.
“You know Kenny [Smith] talks about this all the time. If you play hard, you can get things done. He’s not Clint Capela because Clint Capela plays hard every game,” Shaq said during an appearance on NBA on ESPN. “Clint Capela is a role player, Deandre Ayton is a role player. You’re not going to be on the same team with LeBron and Luka and think you’re going to get shots. However though, all these plays right here are for you. If you just do your job, pick, rebound and run the court, you can get easy buckets. I wish my career was this easy because I played with guys that really used to get me the ball, Penny Hardaway, D-Wade, Scott Skiles. But listen, if you just shut the hell up and do your job and do it all the time and do it consistently, it wouldn’t be a problem. My problem with him is he doesn’t play hard all the time, he don’t play consistent all the time. Six to seven drop offs, that’s twelve points. Run the court a couple of times when your guy shoots a three, run past him, that’s another six points. There goes eighteen points right there. I don’t want to hear no excuse from him, he don’t play hard all the time. He’s the key for them to get to that next level.”
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