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The Phoenix Suns have made it to the NBA Finals after a historic playoff run by 22-year-old Deandre Ayton.
It is the franchise's third NBA Finals appearance but their first since 1993. Ayton has been phenomenal in his first-ever NBA playoff run, shooting with remarkable efficiency and dominating the paint. The Suns now face the Eastern Conference champions, the Milwaukee Bucks, in the 2021 NBA Finals.
Deandre Ayton is the second Bahamian player to make the NBA Finals, the first being Mychal Thompson. Ayton was the first overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft and was drafted above Luka Doncic and Trae Young, which is why his career has always been in the spotlight.
Ayton has stepped up and has been reliable whenever his team has needed him the most. He is certainly one of the biggest pieces of the Phoenix Suns.
Deandre Ayton's role with the Phoenix Suns
Deandre Ayton is the team's bonafide center. At 6' 11", he is the primary rim protector and takes on the responsibility of guarding the opponent's big men.
He is the primary pick-and-roll partner for Chris Paul and Devin Booker and the third scoring option in the team. Deandre Ayton is the post player for the Suns and the main interior scorer who dominates the paint.
As most of his attempts are near the rim, he is shooting at a ridiculous 70.6% clip from the field, the most in NBA history by a wide margin. Deandre Ayton is able to do so because of Paul's playmaking prowess, as the latter is able to get Ayton easy looks.
Many of Ayton's shots are also put-backs. He is the sole rebounding force in the Phoenix Suns team, and their rebounding efficiency takes a 1.9% dip when Ayton is off the floor.
The team gets 0.9% fewer offensive boards, and the opponent team rebounds 0.2% better when is Ayton off the floor. He is averaging 3.4 offensive boards in the 2021 NBA playoffs, and his dominance in cleaning the glass helps him in getting efficient buckets for his team.
Deandre Ayton is leading the league in win shares (2.6) in the 2021 NBA playoffs, and he is doing so incredibly with just an 18% usage rate. The rest of the top six in this category have a usage rate of nearly 32%.
Deandre Ayton's performances in the 2021 NBA playoffs so far
Deandre Ayton is easily having the best playoff debut run by any player in NBA history.
He is shooting at a ridiculous 70.6% FG and has a True Shooting percentage of 70.3, the most in NBA history. He is doing so with more than 36 minutes of play and more than ten attempts per game. Ayton, in fact, averaged close to 80% from the field in the first-round series against the LA Lakers.
He is averaging 16.2 points, 11.8 rebounds, 0.9 assists, 0.6 steals and 0.9 blocks per game so far in the 2021 NBA playoffs. He is shooting on 70/0/61 shooting splits on 10.6 attempts per game and gets to the free-throw line nearly twice a night.
Although Deandre Ayton doesn't have to shoulder the burden of the team's scoring, he has dropped ten games with 15+ points in the 2021 NBA playoffs, including six games with over 20 points. He has developed a decent mid-range jumper, and whenever the ball gets to him in the paint, it's usually a bucket.
Ayton has had 14+ boards on five different occasions, with one of his dominant performances being 22 rebounds in Game 4 against the LA Clippers.
At the defensive end, Ayton has held his matchups to 38% shooting, roughly 11% lower than their career averages. He is also averaging 0.9 blocks in the playoffs but has had a few dominant games in protecting the rim, with two blocks on three occasions and four blocks in Game 4 against the LA Clippers.
Deandre Ayton's key responsibilities against Milwaukee Bucks in the 2021 NBA Finals
![Giannis Antetokounmpo (left) against Deandre Ayton [Source: DraftKings]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2021/07/2f480-16254923921023-800.jpg)
Deandre Ayton needs to do what he does best and be stationed in the paint against the Bucks. The Bucks' offense will bait him into coming to guard at the perimeter, but he cannot fall for the high pick-and-rolls near the top of the key. He is at his best when he is near the paint, and leaving the low-post area will give two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo plenty of room to operate.
Antetokounmpo also thrives in the paint. He led the league in scoring in the paint and is arguably the most efficient player in that restricted area with volume shooting attempts.
He has no mid-range or perimeter game, and his jump shot is shaky at best, so he counts on a drive to the rim. Other playoff teams have built a wall, dubbed 'Giannis Wall', to protect the basket from Antetokounmpo because when he puts his head down and attacks, very few players are capable of stopping him.
That's exactly where Ayton's post defense would come into play. If he stands his ground and doesn't leave the restricted area, Antetokounmpo will be forced to make shots from outside his comfort zone.
At the offensive end, Ayton will need to clean up the glass extremely well against the tall and strong Bucks players.
The Bucks are absolutely incredible in second-chance points and rebounding, as they have several big men at their disposal, so Ayton could face a tough time in the NBA Finals.
Ayton will have to box out not only against Brook Lopez, Bobby Portis and Giannis Antetokounmpo but also against the Bucks guards like Pat Connaughton and Jrue Holiday, who are great in fighting for offensive boards.
Moreover, Ayton will need to produce his usual 16-points-per-game outings with incredible efficiency and be the pick-and-roll savant he is.
Also Read: Ranking the best shooters in the 2021 NBA Playoffs.
