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LOS ANGELES – Coming into their opening round playoff series against the Houston Rockets, the Los Angeles Lakers knew that limiting All-Star big man Alperen Sengun was going to be a major point of focus. Through the Lakers’ first two games of the playoffs, Deandre Ayton has done an incredible job matching up with his Rockets’ counterpart.
But it hasn’t just been his defense on Sengun where Deandre Ayton has shined defensively for the Lakers in the playoffs. Ayton has been able to switch out on the Rockets’ perimeter players and help stymie their offense outside of the paint.
Following Lakers’ practice on Thursday ahead of Game 3, Ayton spoke about stepping up to the challenge defensively in this series.
“I love that. I couldn’t wait to show that. I thought it was gonna be a secret weapon, but I’ve been practicing and having multiple reps guarding the best players in the league on isolations,” Ayton said. “And the confidence is way up there. And I have extreme help, guys I built chemistry off the court with got my back. So yeah, I love switching.”
When it comes to defending the paint, Ayton has been able to body up Sengun and make things difficult for one of the better low post scorers in the NBA. During the regular season, Sengun shot 62 percent in the painted area, as per StatMuse.
In this series, Sengun has made only 15 of his 39 attempts (38.5 percent), with the vast majority of those shots coming in the painted area. While the Lakers’ defense has been a team effort, Ayton has been the primary defender on Sengun.
But then look at this play below from the second half of Game 1.
Deandre Ayton had his best defensive game in a Laker jersey when it mattered most
Look at DA flip the hips + beat Sheppard to the spot
Follows it up w/perfect vertical contest on Thompson to get a stop pic.twitter.com/d7CNwCfP2h
With the shot clock running down, Ayton switches on to Reed Sheppard, who was one of the Rockets’ more consistent perimeter options during the season. He stonewalls Sheppard’s initial drive, and then forces him into a tough, off-balance shot to beat the clock.
He continues to show his versatility on that end by following it up with a perfect vertical contest on Amen Thompson at the rim. It’s been plays like these that Ayton has done through the first two games that have helped the Lakers take a 2-0 lead.
And it’s not like it’s something completely out of nowhere. Last season with the Portland Trail Blazers, Ayton scored high marks on perimeter isolation defense, as per Cranjis McBasketball. When it comes to his overall defense effort this season, he’s third on the team, behind only Jarred Vanderbilt and Luka Doncic, in defensive rating at 115.1, as per StatMuse.
Ayton’s attention to defense effort was something he made it a point to address way back in training camp and even as far back as when he first signed with the Lakers.
“I’m pretty disciplined. In my head I think I’m a guard already, so if I can guard it, why can’t I play it,” Ayton continued. “I respect JJ [Redick] and Coach Greg [St. Jean] just really challenging me as well from training camp on what they want from me, especially defending, switching and guarding the best superstars in the game.”
Throughout the first two games of this series, Ayton is averaging 12.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.0 blocked shots while shooting 61.1 percent from the field. He opened the series with one of his best games of the year, finishing with 19 points, 11 rebounds, two assists and one block.
The Lakers have a prime opportunity to really put the Rockets in a bad position and potentially close the series out on the road, or possibly in Game 5 at home. For them to do so, they’re going to need continued excellence from Ayton.
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