Throughout NBA’s history, it’s always been electric when big men clash. But that’s when it’s on the court. Deandre Ayton’s seemingly off-the-cuff comments could set the stage for the next time the Los Angeles Lakers play against the Houston Rockets. He compared himself to an underrated center, ie, Clint Capela. Those comments blew up in a big back.

The tension between two of the NBA’s prominent big men spilled over into social media following a lopsided Western Conference battle on Thursday night. The Lakers suffered a 113-110 loss against the Phoenix Suns. Despite the final score being that close, the contest was anything but.

Deandre Ayton’s entire contributionw as 2 points, 4 rebounds, and a steal across 23 minutes. Obviously not his best statline. And it came after he said, “They’re trying to make me Clint Capela,” Ayton said, referring to the Houston Rockets’ now backup center, “I’m not no Clint Capela!” After his disappointing showing tonight, social media users felt the Lakers could do with the real Clint Capela. 

Capela himself didn’t take kindly to the statement. In a pointed Instagram story, Capela added a biting commentary on Ayton’s comments regarding his role in the Lakers’ system, writing, “U got 2 of the best floor general in the game my dawg Lockinnn 🤣🤣”

Ayton’s frustration with his role is well known. He went from claiming he didn’t need to be the main guy at the start of the season to recently complaining, “Bigs can’t feed themselves.” His frustrations have not won him sympathy from Lakers faithful.

He could’ve kept Clint Capela out of that conversation though. And after the display tonight, it became glaringly obvious he’s not Clint.

Deandre Ayton is really not Clint Capela

By Capela’s reckoning, despite playing alongside elite playmakers LeBron James and Luka Doncic, Ayton’s not grown into his role as a rim-runner and rebounder. The 31-year-old Houston center has mastered that.

When he first came into the league, his lob-catching became a model for the Rockets as James Harden favored him for alley-oops. Combined with rim-running athleticism, he led the Rockets to two conference finals in 2015 and 2018.

The Lakers’ coaching staff has prioritized defensive stability while Ayton has shown reluctance to fully embrace what they need him to do, that is, catch lobs and protect the rim while playing LeBron James, Luka Doncic, and Austin Reaves dominate the passing.

Capella is obviously advising Ayton to stop complaining about his role and focus on producing, especially given the high-level service he receives from his superstar teammates. 

If Ayton was really going to be Clint Capela, the Lakers would be designing their strategies around him the way the Rockets did for Harden and his big. Yet it’s fallen on an opposing center to put pressure on Ayton to either “lock in” or risk further alienation within a locker room desperate for defensive results.