Former No. 1 pick Deandre Ayton flourishing for Phoenix Suns under Chris Paul's tutelage

By Melissa Rohlin
FOX Sports NBA Writer

Deandre Ayton pulled Chris Paul aside at shootaround.

Ayton wasn't proud of the way he played in Game 3. He thought he was outplayed by Ivica Zubac. And he wanted to let Paul know it wasn't going to happen again.

"He says, 'C, you stay out there. I got all this in here,'" Paul said. "And I said, 'All right, big fella. You got it, you got it.'"

Ayton more than kept his word, finishing with 19 points, a career-high 22 rebounds and four blocked shots in the Phoenix Suns' 84-80 win over the LA Clippers in Game 4 of the Western Conference finals.

Ayton was a wizard on defense, intimidating and overwhelming everyone around him in stunning fashion to lift the Suns to a 3-1 series lead. They are just one win away from their first NBA Finals appearance since 1993, five years before Ayton was born.

"To see his growth, man, I get goosebumps, seriously," said Paul, who had 18 points and seven assists, including making five of his six free throws in the final seven seconds.

Throughout the Suns' incredible postseason run, Ayton's teammates have repeatedly commented on how much his focus has sharpened. Even Ayton acknowledged that he's now giving 150 percent, instead of 110 percent.

As for why, it's simple: The 22-year-old is sick of being doubted.

"Honestly, the world having me as a question mark in the playoffs, that got to me a little bit," Ayton said. "And I'm going to change that."

Ayton is used to criticism. It has plagued him ever since the Suns selected him as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, ahead of Dallas Mavericks star Luka Dončić and Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young.

When the Suns traded for Paul in November, he was intent on changing that narrative.

Paul wanted to unleash Ayton's potential. He wanted to prove to everyone that Ayton was capable of greatness. And so Paul took it upon himself to teach the young star how to reach that level.

It began at the start of training camp.

"First thing he told me was, 'You know, the thing that's going to keep me in the league for a long time is angles,'" Ayton said. "And I was like, ‘Angles?’"

Despite Ayton's initial dubiousness, Paul insisted that was the key.

For more up-to-date news on all things Suns, click here to register for alerts on the FOX Sports app!

Understanding the angles of how to set a good screen or box someone out or get an offensive rebound would be the difference between winning and losing. That would be what separated Ayton from the pack.

Paul, who is famous for being a coach in uniform, was hard on Ayton. He called him out when he made mistakes. He tutored him before practices, making him watch film for hours. He hounded him until they were on the same page. He knew that for the Suns to be successful, he and Ayton had to be a tandem, with Paul controlling the perimeter and Ayton patrolling the paint.

"That's really the only teammate that really push me," Ayton said. "Like big bro-type push. Knowing what I got and that I ain't never thought that I had. I think he was the best thing that happened to my career."

Paul's relationship with Ayton extends way back, further back than the 36-year-old cares to admit. "I might be dating myself a little bit, but I coached against DA on my AAU team, Team CP3," the 36-year-old Paul acknowledged.

When they became teammates, Paul took a special interest in Ayton. The tough love has paid off.

Ayton has been a force throughout the playoffs, averaging 16.6 points and 11.4 rebounds. He has had six games with at least 20 points and has consistently been a defensive wizard. He was the hero in the Suns' incredible Game 2 win, when he made a stunning jam off a lob from Jae Crowder at the buzzer.

In Game 4, Ayton did it all, from everywhere.  

He helped hold the Clippers to 36 points in the first half, the fewest they scored in that period this season. He was a steadying force for the Suns after their 16-point lead was cut to one point. Down the stretch, he helped box out and control the boards with the game on the line.

For Paul, it has been incredible to watch Ayton shine.

"We done had some heated conversations this season, especially earlier in the season, but, man, I genuinely love him," Paul said. "The person that he is. And to see everything that's coming to him, [a] national audience getting to see who he is and why he's the No. 1 pick, I couldn't be happier for him."

Ayton has silenced everyone who doubted him. He has emerged as one of the top young players in the league. He has proven that he's living up to the hype.

And he has done it on the biggest of stages.

Ayton walked into Staples Center on Saturday wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with an image of Devin Booker's face after he suffered a broken nose in Game 2, as if he were telling anyone who passed him in the hallway that the Suns were ready for a dogfight.

"My boy got all banged up," Ayton said. "So it was just sending a little message."

After honoring Booker's toughness, he showed his own.

Ayton hardly let anything get past his 7-foot-3 wingspan. He grabbed nine offensive rebounds. In a bizarre offensive game for both teams, which included a four-minute stretch in the fourth quarter in which the Suns and Clippers combined to miss 16 consecutive shots, it was Ayton's defense that stood out above everything.

"I thought Deandre's presence, his effort, the rebounding, shot-blocking, his communication on defense, switching out on smaller guys and being able to guard them, he was the catalyst tonight on the defensive end," Suns coach Monty Williams said. "I thought it was an unreal performance from him. Our guys rallied around him."

For Ayton, it all started with a promise he made early Saturday morning.

Paul helped change his life. He helped transform Ayton into the player he has become. And Ayton doesn't want to let his mentor down, especially when Paul is so close to reaching the NBA Finals for the first time in his 16-season career.

Ayton is going to do everything in his power to help Paul smash through that ceiling.

It's now his turn to pay things forward.

"I'm going to try my best," he said. "I'm going to try my best." 

Melissa Rohlin is an NBA writer for FOX Sports. She has previously covered the league for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Times, the Bay Area News Group and the San Antonio Express-News. Follow her on Twitter @melissarohlin.