Deandre Ayton is the key to the series for the Phoenix Suns

How good was DeAndre Ayton in Game 1 against the Lakers? All season long, Los Angeles has swallowed up opposing big men and taken them out of the equation on both ends of the court, but in Game 1 on Sunday afternoon, Ayton proved why he was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft. 

Not only did he finish with a +/- of +16, the highest out of any player to play in Game 1 for both teams, but Ayton finished with 21 points and 16 rebounds, including 8 offensive rebounds! This was exactly the kind of performance the Suns needed from him in this close game and this is exactly what they are going to need from him the rest of the series.

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Maybe getting 20+ points every game against the Lakers is a little bit of a stretch, but the aggressiveness on the boards needs to be there for Ayton in order for Phoenix to win this series. One of the biggest advantages the Lakers have had over teams this year is being able to out-rebound them, but they were not able to do so in Game 1.

The Suns out-rebounded the Lakers 47-33, including 16-10 on the offensive-glass. Getting 16 rebounds from DeAndre Ayton was huge for the Suns not only because they were able to dictate the pace of the game, but because his 8 offensive-rebounds led to 12 second-chance points for Phoenix. 

We know what to expect from both Chris Paul and Devin Booker, assuming they are healthy, but DeAndre Ayton is that third, key guy that has been a question mark at times this season. Phoenix is going to need “all-hands-on-deck” in this series against the Lakers and if they can get these kinds of performances from Ayton, they could find themselves being the team to beat in the Western Conference.