The Lakers and Rockets met for the first time since DeAndre Ayton and Clint Capela went after each other in the media and on social media. The Lakers won 100-92, and neither player had a major impact on the game or the season. Still, Ayton had the last laugh with the win, and because he seemingly outplayed Capela when he was on the floor, this rivalry does not seem to be slowing down either.
The reason why Ayton had the last laugh over Capela was the fact that he finished with a +/- of 11, on top of the fact that the Lakers won. He was quoted as saying, “I'm no Clint Capela!” The reference was that Ayton did not want to catch lobs on offense and instead wanted to do more than that.
The quote went viral after Ayton seemingly called out Capela and his skillset, and Capela clapped back. He said, “U got 2 of the best floor generals in the game, my dawg lockinnn.” Then he added two crying laughing emojis.
It is worth noting that Ayton might have a point about his offensive skill set being wasted in a Clint Capela role, but Capela, in his prime, was much better than Ayton in rebounding and defense. On the other hand, the Phoenix Suns and Portland Trail Blazers spent seven years trying to figure out how to maximize that skill set in a way that actually helped their championship odds.
Ayton's career has been defined by talent that has perhaps not been wasted, but has certainly been unevenly applied. That's not exactly what you want from a player who was taken first overall by the Suns ahead of players like Luka Dončić, Jaren Jackson Jr., Trae Young, Mikal Bridges, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Jalen Brunson.
The Suns got the most out of Ayton, and he helped them reach the NBA Finals because of it. He also got a max contract because of that, but questions about his effort level have consistently come up and not gone away throughout his time with three different teams. Having a defined role like Capela's could do him some good long-term.
