The Los Angeles Lakers put their faith in Deandre Ayton last July. But as we head towards the second half of the regular season, the reality is grim. DA feels the Lakers are treating him like Clint Capella. He’s not happy with how they are utilizing him in games. However, his numbers give away. And legends like Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal aren’t buying the 27-year-old’s reasoning.

Shaq played as a big man for the Lakers for eight seasons. So, probably no one would know it better than him what it means to fit in that role. Therefore, he wants Ayton to understand one simple thing: “If you play hard, you can get things done.” The Hall of Famer made it clear on Inside the NBA.

Then O’Neal referred to Deandre Ayton’s “They’re trying to make me Clint Capela. I’m not no Clint Capela!” outburst. He added, “He’s not Clint Capella, because Clint Capella plays hard every game. Clint Capella is a role player. Deandre Ayton is a role player.” Moreover, if DA is playing alongside ball-dominant superstars like LeBron James and Luka Doncic, he can’t expect to be the primary scoring option or get a high volume of shots.

Thus, Shaquille O’Neal‘s message is simple: “If you just do your job, pick, and rebound and run the court, you can get easy buckets.” He recalls the time when he was playing center for the LA Lakers. ” I wish my career was this easy,” O’Neal shared. Here’s where Shaq’s true problem with Deandre Ayton lies.

First, Ayton does not play hard or consistently all the time. A six to seven drop off costs 12 points. Then, if he runs the court when his guy is short on a three and beats him, that is another six. That becomes 18 points quickly. Therefore, Shaq does not want complaints. He believes he is the key to the next level.

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Now this is where it gets more interesting. The Hall of Famer calls out Ayton’s low-effort style of play, and Charles Barkley jumps in with his two cents. However, the twist came a few days earlier when Draymond Green stepped up to defend DA after a fan questioned his gameplay.

Charles Barkley takes a jab at DeAndre Ayton

“DominAyton my a–,” Chuck said on Inside the NBA after Shaquille O’Neal’s analysis. Charles Barkley mocks the nickname “DominAyton” that Deandre Ayton earned during his 2021 playoff run. Essentially, he is saying he is not dominant, so stop calling him that. Barkley senses a lack of consistent aggression, physicality, and impact. Therefore, he questions DA’s motor. Moreover, the 63-year-old expects centers to control games like past legends, and he clearly feels Ayton does not reach that level regularly.

Now, one of the NBA fans pointed out Ayton’s gameplay in the Lakers’ 110-113 loss against the Suns on Thursday. Thread user @bluuui shared a clip with 10:06 left in the second quarter. Collin Gillespie grabbed a rebound and attacked the rim as Jarred Vanderbilt tagged him. Vanderbilt then guarded the Suns guard, who kicked it to Grayson Allen. Meanwhile, Ayton jogged into the paint to contain Gillespie. Although fans called it low-effort, mis-switches by Marcus Smart and Vanderbilt hurt more, and Amir Coffey drilled the three.

To this, the Golden State Warriors veteran Draymond Green called out the fan, saying that criticizing a center for moving in that manner simply shows they don’t have much knowledge about the game. Now, going into the stats, in the last four games Deandre Ayton averaged 20% shooting volume efficiency swings but produced 10.0 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 0.5 assists in 27.0 minutes per game. He shot 59.4% from the field (16-of-27) and 100% from three (0 attempts missed), while converting 80% from the line (8-of-10). Defensively, he averaged 0.8 steals and 0.5 blocks, with a 1.0 turnover rate per game.

So now, bouts of good game days won’t be enough for Deandre Ayton. He needs to prove himself as the rightful former top pick. Shaquille O’Neal’s message is clear: DA needs to play hard. Sure, Charles Barkley didn’t mince words in calling out the 27-year-old’s 2025-26 season. But even in that, there’s a crucial message for him to grab.