Deandre Ayton was a polarizing player for the Los Angeles Lakers this year due to his inconsistent play. However, when the games have been most important in the playoffs, he has stepped up in a big way, particularly in Game 6 against the Houston Rockets.
Head coach JJ Redick went away from double-teaming Rockets center Alperen Sengun and relied on Ayton to hold his own. After Friday’s game, the Lakers big man spoke to how Redick challenged him defensively and he embraced it.
“JJ and coaches really challenged me about guarding Sengun one-on-one,” Ayton said. “Letting the guys fan out and guard their guys, face guard them. They killed us with a lot of cuts to the basket and they made a lot of shots. I think Sengun had eight assists, eight assists too many and we just wanted to go back to how we guarded them if KD were out there. Guard them straight up and I took the challenge to my chin. Just putting the team on my back and them trusting me. It really gave me that power to really close out possessions, especially when it’s contested and chasing the rebound. So, that’s what really got everything going to be honest, just them trusting me.”
When reflecting on this first round matchup, one of Redick’s mistakes was doubling Sengun when he was not rolling offensively. The Turkish center never truly punished L.A. as a scorer outside of Game 3, and it allowed for him to get his teammates going by finding them on cuts.
Ayton possesses the frame to hold his own and that was the No. 1 adjustment heading into Game 6, playing Sengun straight up. The Rockets star put up 17 points and 11 rebounds but notably only had one assist, which paid dividends in Houston scoring 78 points.
Sengun tried to initiate contact to force referees to make a call, but Ayton truly played about as perfect defense as he could. It is great to see a mentality switch from the former No. 1 overall pick as he appears eager to do whatever it takes to win and he did so in convincing fashion.
Marcus Smart shows love to Deandre Ayton for play in Rockets series
Given the shorthanded nature of the Lakers, they needed everyone to step up in major ways. Deandre Ayton was a player who stepped up in the rebounding and defense department, which is greatly needed against a physical Rockets team.
After a dominant series-clinching win, Marcus Smart took the time to show Ayton some love for his play. He tends to do so frequently to empower his teammate, and Ayton has responded well.
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