Deandre Ayton’s ability to score/rebound in the paint
Deandre Ayton was drafted 1st overall in 2018 and while he has been a great player for Phoenix through the years, he really had not lived up to expectations entering the postseason. However in the playoffs, Ayton has turned himself into a real force on both ends of the court and is starting to draw consideration for being one of the best centers in the entire league.
His strength and stature is a big advantage over other centers in the league, especially since the league is transitioning to having smaller, more perimeter-centric big men, but Deandre Ayton has made a name for himself in these playoffs by making a difference on both offense and defense.
Offensively, Ayton is averaging 16.2 points per game in these playoffs and is racking up about 3.4 offensive rebounds per game, the most out of any player remaining in the postseason. Through his first 16 career playoff games, Ayton has recorded 20+ points 6 times and has recorded a double-double 11 times.
He is the Phoenix Suns third leading scorer during the postseason and has shot over 70% from the floor in the playoffs, which is unbelievable. The job Ayton has done making a difference has helped Phoenix dominate their opponents so far this postseason, by his impact defensively has been just as valuable.
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Ayton may not be a league-leader in blocks like Rudy Gobert and he may not really be known to be versatile enough to guard numerous positions as a big man like Anthony Davis, but he has had a ton of success in these playoffs guarding some of the best big men in the league.
Guarding the likes of Anthony Davis, Andre Drummond and Nikola Jokic in the same postseason is extremely hard to do, yet Ayton found success against all of them in different ways. Ayton’s ability to outrebound his opponents and play more physical than them on the perimeter has given a huge jolt to the Suns defense throughout these playoffs.
In this NBA Finals series against the Milwaukee Bucks, Deandre Ayton faces one final task of guarding Brook Lopez and once again asserting his dominance. If he can find success against Lopez, then the Suns will win their first championship in franchise history.
The Bucks and Suns faced off twice during the regular season and in these two games, Deandre Ayton averaged 18.5 points and 10.0 rebounds. If he can replicate this kind of success, there is no reason why he cannot be the X-Factor for the Suns and help them win this series.
