Despite playing with LeBron James and Luka Dončić in his first season with the Lakers, the 7-foot Ayton is averaging a career-worst 13 points and 8.4 rebounds per game. Following his performance against the Magic, Ayton put up just 2 points and 4 rebounds in a loss to the Phoenix Suns on Thursday night.

Although Ayton hasn’t expanded on why he threw out Capela’s name, he likely was referring to Capela’s usage with the Rockets in his prime when he was not asked to do more than be a rim-running big and catch lob passes for easy dunks on offense and block shots on the other end.

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In his 12th season in the league, Capela, who signed a three-year, $21.5 million contract with the Rockets in the offseson, has slowed down and has averaged 12.8 minutes per game since Steven Adams suffered a season-ending injury in January. Capela is averaging 3.5 points and 4.4 rebounds per game this season, but he’s also four years older than Ayton and has produced the better career.

Capela was part of two conference finals teams with the Rockets and proved deadly working with James Harden on the pick-and-roll before he was traded to the Atlanta Hawks during the 2019-20 season. For his career, Capela has averaged 11.4 points, 10.1 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game and twice received votes for Defensive Player of the Year.

Ayton, who was a part of the Phoenix Suns’ NBA Finals team in 2021, is averaging 13 points, 10.2 rebounds and 1 block per game in a career in which he’s averaged four shots more per game than Capela.