The makings of a championship team in the NBA don’t come down to assembling the best players together. A successful culture involves acceptance and the sacrifice of aspects of your game for the team. Deandre Ayton’s recent comments about not wanting to be Clint Capela ran counter to those principles. Miami Heat legend Udonis Haslem relayed a warning to the Los Angeles Lakers center in retaliation, strictly telling him to choose between winning and himself.

“To Deandre Ayton, you’re talking about buying in,” Haslem said on NBA on Prime. “I understand you might not be Clint Capela, but that is a losing 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… You are no different, Deandre Ayton, play your damn role and get your ring or not.”

Haslem spent time in Miami when LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh came together. Likewise, the coaches created a system around the Big 3 that worked and led them to win two championships in four years.

“The other 12 of us did not have the role we wanted,” said Haslem. “Everybody else had to fill in the gaps and play a role to help win.”

Likewise, regarding Deandre Ayton’s situation, the Lakers’ demands are clear. They want the skillset of a big man who secures rebounds and approaches every play with max effort. The Purple and Gold believe unlocking Ayton’s toughness will take them closer to being a winning team. Haslem’s warning to him for rejecting the role didn’t account for Ayton’s personal differences with the Lakers’ coaching staff.

Ayton’s performances have gone hand-in-hand with his involvement in the Lakers’ offense. To be fair, they have lost just once when the former Suns center scores 20 or more. But a big reason is the effort he puts into rebounding when he gets a decent number of shots. But that can’t be happening in every game. The big man’s effort can’t be subject to how much the ball is being fed to him.

The Lakers star’s comments on Capela, who made his mark as a lob-catching, rim-running big man on a team that reached two conference finals, don’t matter if the team isn’t winning and making a deep postseason run at the very least. But have Ayton’s inconsistencies led head coach JJ Redick to take some bold action?

Deandre Ayton’s NBA career is in his own hands

The Lakers‘ head coach hasn’t hesitated to make some big adjustments. On several occasions in recent games, Deandre Ayton has been the focus. Notably, JJ Redick has opted to use Jaxson Hayes, a mobile and high-energy center, in the closing minutes rather than Ayton on nights when his effort just isn’t there.

The Lakers’ backup center has outperformed Ayton in his limited minutes at times. Furthermore, the Lakers have a significantly better defensive rating with Hayes than with Ayton. This doesn’t come down to skill. Hayes knows exactly what he is supposed to do every night, and he understands that doing the little things properly gives the Lakers the best chance to win.

That hasn’t registered with Ayton yet, and it could cost him his future in the league. The same issues have persisted with him across multiple teams. The Lakers, with cap space next season, could look to replace him with a physically imposing center, something that they expected he would do. It could cost them far less than the $8.1 million they owe him, while giving the Lakers a player to address their weaknesses.

Ayton is still capable of being that. But it comes down to his mindset. Former Celtics star Kendrick Perkins also offered some advice to Ayton.

“You know what Deandre Ayton hasn’t accepted yet? That he’s not Beyoncé,” Perkins said. “M———–, you’re not irreplaceable. You’re not Beyoncé, You’re not irreplaceable. Your a— could be replaced. There’s about 10 m———– can do what they want Deandre Ayton to do: rim running, lob threats. They on their way in these next couple of drafts.”

Earlier this year, Redick defended his big man and took it upon himself to make sure “he feels involved,” despite the Lakers star complaining that his teammates weren’t consistently finding him. With Ayton’s averages dropping in the last two months, it’ll be interesting to see how long that patience holds.