DeAndre Ayton continues to destroy the Clippers on the interior

In these playoffs, DeAndre Ayton has not only grown into being one of the key contributors for the Phoenix Suns, but he is slowly becoming one of the better centers in the entire NBA. After being drafted #1 overall in 2018, many have been waiting for Ayton to have his “signature moments” in the league and in every single game of these playoffs, he has been getting better and better on both ends of the floor. 

Looking back to the start of the season to what kind of player he was to how he is playing now, it is amazing to look at the strides Ayton has made in his game, specifically as a tough, “bruiser-like” rebounder on defense and offense. 

In Game 4’s victory, Ayton had 19 points, 22 rebounds and 4 blocks, but the most impressive part of his stat line was the fact that 9 of his total rebounds were on the offensive-end of the floor. The Suns scored 8 points off of these 9 offensive rebounds, which may not seem like a lot, but in a game where scoring did not come easy, this was a key difference for the Suns. 

Cleaning up the glass and giving the Suns second-chance opportunities has been a huge part of Ayton’s success in the postseason and has helped him become one of the most diverse centers in the league in terms of ways he can wear down his opponents. He has now scored in double-figures in 12 of the 14 games Phoenix has played this postseason and DeAndre Ayton recorded his 9th double-double of the postseason

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Ivica Zubac has been above-average for the Clippers the last few games, but Los Angeles just does not have an answer on how to stop or contain Ayton. He is playing on a level above everybody else right now, which is why the Suns currently find themselves up 3-1 in this series.