Deandre Ayton’s first season in Los Angeles is quickly going from bad to worse.
The Los Angeles Lakers lost on Wednesday to the Orlando Magic by a final score of 110-109. Ayton did manage to score 21 points on 8/11 shooting and grab 13 rebounds.
However, the Lakers lost at the buzzer after a final play in which (among other things that went wrong) Ayton did not roll to the basket after setting a screen for Luka Doncic. Here is the video.
Lebron for the win…pic.twitter.com/bXbicp8eoq
— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) February 25, 2026
After the game, Ayton spoke with reporters and then proceeded to throw shade at the Lakers with a loud comment that he made to the room as he was heading towards the showers.
“They’re trying to make me Clint Capela,” said Ayton, per ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. “I’m not no Clint Capela.”
The former No. 1 overall Ayton was referring to the Houston Rockets big man Capela, who used to be one of the game’s top lob threats at the rim. Meanwhile, Ayton’s game is a bit different than that as he prefers to camp out in the midrange area and shoot short jumpers.
Ayton is averaging 13.2 points and 8.5 rebounds per game this season for the Lakers, both of which represent career-lows. With a tendency to limit his own ceiling through inconsistent effort and a lack of proper positioning within the halfcourt offense (in addition to some of the other drama that he has gotten into lately), Ayton is clearly not fitting in well right now in Los Angeles.
