On paper, Deandre Ayton has enjoyed a stellar start to life at the Los Angeles Lakers, averaging 12.8 points and 8.3 rebounds per game across 53 starts. Dig deeper, however, and cracks begin to appear, mostly due to lapses in defense and Ayton’s refusal to embrace being a role player on a roster stacked with offensive talent.
That was very much evident in Ayton’s “they’re trying to make me Clint Capela,” remark, which has earned some stark criticism from Miami Heat legend Udonis Haslem.
“I played with the Big 3, the other 12 of us did not have the role we wanted… And you are no different Deandre Ayton. Play your damn role and get your ring or not.”
– Udonis Haslem 👀
(via @NBAonPrime)pic.twitter.com/VG4O5jH1X5
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) March 6, 2026
“To Deandre Ayton, we are talking about buying in. That is a loser mentality. If this is what your team needs from you to put them in a position to win a championship, then you have to buy in and play your role,” he said per a post on X by ClutchPoints, suggesting that Ayton needs to be more open to what his team needs.
The Lakers need the No. 1 pick of the 2018 draft to be a rim-running, screen-setting center and take on a reduced offensive role with the likes of LeBron James, Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves seen as the primary scorers.
“I played with the Big 3, the other 12 of us did not have the role we wanted. The only three people that had the role that they wanted was them. Everybody else had to fill in a gap and play your role to get the win. And you are no different Deandre Ayton. Play your damn role and get your ring or not,” Haslem concluded, referencing his own time playing alongside Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and LeBron James.
With Doncic orchestrating the offense and LeBron continuing to operate as one of the league’s most productive creators even deep into his career, Los Angeles does not need additional post-up scoring from its center. Instead, the offense requires vertical spacing, offensive rebounding, rim protection, and efficient finishing near the basket.
However, Ayton instead has a plus-minus of -65 since the All-Star break, largely down to an erratic style of play with regular defensive lapses. His two-point performance against the Phoenix Suns even earned a clap-back from Capela, who urged Ayton to lock in as he had two of the best floor generals of the game on his team.
Needless to say, as Haslem claimed, Ayton might as well need to embrace his new role with the Lakers, especially considering the overall production their Big-3 is currently producing.
