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Deandre Ayton #5 of the Los Angeles Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers know well that center Deandre Ayton can score. That’s been the case since he entered the NBA as the No. 1 overall pick back in 2018, when he was even drafted ahead of now-Lakers star Luka Doncic. But what’s frustrated so many of his coaches and teammates in the past has been Ayton’s unwillingness to put his focus on defending the paint and grabbing rebounds, the two functions that have grown in importance in the modern game with its focus on layups and 3-pointers.

The Lakers have gone through the full Ayton experience this season, at times looking much better when he was off the floor–during the regular season, the Lakers’ offensive rating was 2.0 points better when Ayton was off the floor, and their defensive rating was 1.0 points better, per Basketball-Reference.com.

Ayton delivered one of the more telling lines of the season when ESPN quoted him as complaining that, with their push to get him to simply defend and rebound, the team was, “trying to turn me into Clint Capela.”

Deandre Ayton Impresses With Defense, Rebounding

Well, on Friday in Houston, the Lakers won Game 6 with Ayton looking very Capela-esque. He was a mere 2-for-6 with seven points offensively, but that hardly mattered. Ayton had 16 rebounds in the game, and limited Rockets star Alperen Sengun to 17 points on 5-for-12 shooting. That was critical in the 98-78 defensive drubbing the Lakers delivered to the Rockets in the game.

And that win was enough to push the Lakers past Houston and into the second round of the postseason, where they will face the defending champion Thunder. That series begins on Tuesday.

Lakers Perimeter Defenders ‘Galvanized’ by Deandre Ayton

After the game, point guard and veteran leader Marcus Smart sounded off on the Ayton performance, noting he could not say enough good things about how the much-maligned Lakers big man played.

Said Smart: “For me, it’s DA. He played his (expletive) off, excuse my language, but he was locked in from the start to the finish. He kept his composure and really set the tone for us on that defensive end, and allow me to do what I do and allow everybody else to kind of galvanize and come together and do our thing.”

Lakers Contained Alperen Sengun

Indeed, the Lakers learned in the previous two games, both losses, that Sengun’s ability to either score himself or pick apart the defense with passing makes him hard to contain. Sengun had only 14 points but added eight assists in Houston’s Game 5 win.

Smart said Ayton’s defensive intensity has been bumped up now that the postseason is upon us.

“Been saying it all year, ‘Wait till I get to the playoffs,’” Smart said. “It is a different side to him that fans haven’t seen, you know, that we expect. We know what he can do. He is ready, he has been locked in from the start, and that is what we ask from everybody. To have him, being able to step up one-on-one with Sengun, allow us to fan out to their shooters, right?

“He’s huge man, I could sit here and talk all day about DA. I love him. I am proud of him. I am proud to see that he is finally getting that confidence he has been looking for.”