Deandre Ayton Sounds Off on Lakers Role With Strong Statement

The Los Angeles Lakers are coming off a controversial loss to the Orlando Magic, with the team falling short after a botched play in the closing seconds, involving superstars Luka Doncic and LeBron James.

Even though it was a disappointing loss that caused quite a stir about the last possession and how it was handled by the team’s two best players, veteran center Deandre Ayton had his best game in quite some time and spoke after the game about his teammates getting him the ball often against Orlando.

"The ball finds energy," Ayton said. "They believe in me when I'm down there and sealing and they see me running hard to the rim and crashing, they reward me."

Ayton finished with a double-double, racking up 21 points and 13 rebounds, while shooting an efficient 8-for-11 from the field.

Deandre Ayton: ‘I’m Not No Clint Capela!’

Deandre Ayton Los Angeles Lakers — Jan 22, 2026; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers center Deandre Ayton (5) wears protective glasses in the game against the Los Angeles Clippers at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Despite his performance against the Magic being a step in the right direction as he got the kind of touches in the paint that he’s wanted all season long, the former No. 1 overall pick couldn’t help himself in the locker room, as he blurted this out before heading to the showers, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN.

"They're trying to make me Clint Capela," Ayton said, referring to the Houston Rockets' now backup center, who a decade ago made his impact as a lob-catching, rim-running big on a team that made it to two conference finals.

"I'm not no Clint Capela!"

Marcus Smart Chimes in on Deandre Ayton

Deandre Ayton Marcus Smart Los Angeles Lakers — Jan 6, 2026; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Los Angeles Lakers center Deandre Ayton (5) helps guard Marcus Smart (36) off the court after being fouled by New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson (1) during the first half at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images | Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

Ayton was one of only a few free agent additions to the Lakers’ roster during the NBA offseason, with Jake LaRavia and Marcus Smart also inking short-term deals with the storied franchise ahead of the 2025-26 campaign.

Smart, who has played well in his role with the team this season, shared his thoughts on Ayton’s performance thus far, as the team heads into the final stretch, via McMenamin.

"I think he's done OK," Smart said this week. "He definitely could be better, we all could. But the thing I love about it is he understands it and he's working. We all are trying to figure it out; this is new to everybody. He's doing his best, but he understands it's another notch that we need him to go to, and we're going to try to get him there and help with that. But he knows he's got to do his part as well."

Tuesday’s loss to the Magic was the first time Ayton had recorded a double-double in the month of February. The last time he racked up double digits in points and rebounds was on Jan. 30 in the blowout win against the lowly Washington Wizards, when he had arguably the best game of his Lakers stint thus far with 28 points, 13 rebounds, three assists, three blocks and a steal, shooting 85.7 percent from the floor.

Since then, he’s been pretty inconsistent, but hasn’t gotten the opportunity offensively, as he’s only had 10 or more field-goal attempts in two of the last seven games.

It’ll be interesting to see how these comments impact his role moving forward and whether head coach JJ Redick makes a point of feeding his starting center more often in the final 25 regular-season games on the schedule for Los Angeles.