The Los Angeles Lakers need Deandre Ayton to be a rim protector, rebounder and a lob threat for Luka Doncic and LeBron James. The 27-year-old center wants something different for himself.
After a postgame outburst in front of reporters after Tuesday’s 110-109 loss to the Orlando Magic, it’s clear that Ayton is unhappy with his role. His history and the Lakers’ attempts to motivate him suggest Ayton might simply lack the maturity to be the center the team wants.
Lakers use unconventional methods to motivate Deandre Ayton
According to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, the Lakers have used some unusual tactics to try to get the best out of Ayton, who was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 draft.
“Rob Pelinka… commissioned a black T-shirt with a gold screen print depicting half of a lion’s face and half of Ayton’s face that he presented to the 27-year-old. Members of the training staff wrap Ayton’s water bottle in athletic tape and write ‘DA’s Crunk Juice — Drink this to unleash the beast’ in black marker on it before games.”
That’s right: “DA’s Crunk Juice.” It sounds like a phrase you’d use to fire up a child, not a 27-year-old man in his eighth NBA season. But that’s the paradox of Ayton.
His athletic gifts are undeniable. Ayton is seven feet tall and weighs 260 pounds, yet reportedly has a 43-inch vertical leap and enough body control to turn cartwheels in the locker room. He’s averaging 13.2 points and 8.5 rebounds for the Lakers on the first year of a two-year, $16.2M contract, where Ayton holds a player option for 2026-27.
But he’s shown huge signs of immaturity. In 2022, Ayton told ESPN that he plays the video game “NBA 2K” “at least four or five hours” each day. In his two seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers, Ayton was repeatedly fined for showing up late to practices and team flights, threw tantrums and skipped rehabilitation sessions and once missed a game because the weather was too cold.
Lakers need a team player at center
After Ayton put up 21 points and 13 rebounds Tuesday night, he yelled, clearly audible to waiting reporters, “They’re trying to make me Clint Capela! I’m not no Clint Capela!”
The Lakers could use prime Clint Capela more than this version of Ayton. Capela was a rim-running, shot-blocking center for the Houston Rockets and Atlanta Hawks who led the NBA in rebounding in 2021. He played with offensive forces like James Harden and Chris Paul and got most of his offensive touches on dives to the hoop.
Ayton is shooting an impressive 66.7 percent this season, but he rarely shoots from more than 10 feet from the basket and averages less than one assist per game. Despite his size, he blocks only 0.9 shots per game.
The “NBA 2K” version of Ayton might be unstoppable, but in the modern NBA, it’s unrealistic to expect a team to repeatedly feed a limited big man — especially with Doncic, James and Austin Reaves as superior options.
The big man’s apparent unhappiness makes it questionable whether Ayton will pick up his option for next season, but after the Phoenix Suns traded him and the Trail Blazers bought out his contract last summer, is there a market for a player with an inflated idea of his talent and unwillingness to change?
Neither Ayton nor the Lakers are happy with this season. If Ayton doesn’t embrace his inner Clint Capela, they may be looking at another first-round exit.