NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: CLIPPERS VS. SUNS

June 20, 2021

DeAndre Ayton

Phoenix Suns

Game 1: Postgame

Phoenix Suns - 120, Los Angeles Clippers - 114

Q. Could you just talk about Devin Booker and just the way he gets going and it seems like the higher the stakes get, the better he plays, and just his performance today.

DEANDRE AYTON: You are right about that. Devin definitely took control. He led the team. He made sure we played as a unit, didn't forget our togetherness on the floor. He's throwing something to my boys, but it's all good. But, yeah, he played hard and he knocked down some great shots consistently and we just fed off of that.

Q. A lot of people talk about how the Clippers like to play small and everything, but you didn't look too concerned about it out there. What allowed you to kind of maintain your defensive presence? And it never looked like you were too bothered by it.

DEANDRE AYTON: Understand, I played Pac-12 basketball. I don't think I ever seen a seven-footer in the Pac-12 conference. So I always played the 4 in college and switching out on guards and guards wanting to beat my feet. But I train. I train at this. I train my lateral quickness and I trust my defensive feet and hands. But like I said, the league is changing. That's one of the reasons I don't like calling myself a big man, because I love to get out and guard on the perimeter as well, running after guards and stuff like that. It's just a part of the game that I really emphasize for myself.

Q. You and Book have been here a long time. You called him the Son of the Valley. Just where would you rank this performance tonight and moments that you've seen from Book throughout your time together?

DEANDRE AYTON: You can't rank it. This is Game 1, and he already acting up. You can't rank it. So all you can do is just, I don't know, you just got to wait. Everyone had just got to have their popcorn ready and just be ready.

Q. I wanted to ask you about Mikal and how he finished the game.

DEANDRE AYTON: Mikal does a lot. Obviously he guards the best players night-in and night-out. Just seeing how he kept his poise and kept his head together throughout the game, sacrificing some shots to even create for others is big-time. And we play a rhythm and it eventually got to him and he took advantage of it. I think he left with a big bang, reading the defense and what it took, he took the dunk, knocking down some huge shots in the corner for us and just making plays with the ball. Mikal's an important piece for us, where he guards all the positions. He's everywhere and he did a great job tonight.

Q. How many rebounds did Booker grab?

DEANDRE AYTON: All. All. I think he had like 13, 14. I seen him. It's like, I didn't know he was going to grab that many.

Q. When we talked to Monty, he was talking about just how they have been trying to focus more and more and having it so you don't have to be in rotation. But Jae's been such a huge facilitator of that too. What did you think of how you worked with Jae tonight in particular?

DEANDRE AYTON: Man, Jae Crowder did a lot tonight. He was the anchor tonight on just being so incredible. He was loud, he was communicating right, the right coverages for us. There was a couple times where I got caught up and I didn't know where I was at. And sometimes he had to physically grab me to make sure I was in the right spot and that's the type of team we got. Today he just was everywhere. He made sure everybody stayed up, made sure I stayed out of foul trouble. I think I gave up a three on the strong side trying to help him out, but he got on me saying he didn't need the help, but that's the type of team we have. Just giving each other the right criticism and playing hard as heck.

Q. What are your thoughts on Devin Booker's performance and what did you like the most about your team's defense from tonight?

DEANDRE AYTON: Devin Booker played phenomenal. That's the one thing D Book does, he definitely, he doesn't drop to the competition, he plays for his team and makes sure he gets everybody involved. Tonight our defense was excellent. I really enjoyed the way we communicated throughout the whole game. Paul George had a great game, but we made sure that other guys, made sure we checked them and made sure we had our boxes and elbows really covered and just making sure we run and rebound and close out possessions.

Q. How much fun are you having in your first playoffs and how different is it from what you expected?

DEANDRE AYTON: I'm having a lot of fun, to be honest. What I expected? I just expected just the environment to be really intense, like it really is. I can't hear myself sometimes. Dudes playing physical. You are seeing some of the biggest trash talkers and you come across some tendencies that you'll never see in the game. Trick plays, little vet moves and stuff like that that you have to ignore, you can't really get caught up in stuff like that. But you just know the task at hand, but beyond that, it's fun. Just approaching the game the right way and I'm ready.

Q. Father's Day. First as a dad. Thoughts on that.

DEANDRE AYTON: I was so amped up, I think CP, Chris Paul was the first one to text me that morning. That's the first happy Father's Day I've gotten. And I was wondering, I had to look at my phone, I glimpsed at it, it was like 7:00 in the morning. I was like is this for me? You know. I had to read the whole message and say, oh, yeah, you are a father and stuff like that. No, just embracing that feeling was, is a lot. And it was a game day, my first [Conferece] Finals playoffs, you know, I had to go all out. It's a great day and I'm just honored just to be with this organization going through when I'm going through right now.

Q. How do you watch film differently than when you were a rookie?

DEANDRE AYTON: Mainly as a rookie I was just really scared of the matchups, for real. Just like, okay, I'm going against him, what am I going to do? Not really just coming in how I'm going to stop him, but I'm about to play such and such. But now it's about me locking into his tendencies, whoever I'm playing against, knowing what they like to do, knowing what's uncomfortable, making them uncomfortable and just playing hard and physical throughout the whole game, making them work as well on the offensive end when I'm there and just really being a presence on both ends of the floor no matter what.

Q. I feel like this was a matchup where you got to see two different versions of the Clippers. You got to see them bit, you got to see them small. Like, were you able to kind of see what the previous bigs did against the Clippers and say, you know what, if we get a chance to go up against them, like I can definitely take better advantage of what you're seeing?

DEANDRE AYTON: Most definitely. I watched the whole series with Utah and the Clippers, seeing how they got Gobert in rotations. I know our team is big on defense and that's all we play. And we tweaked our defense to where I can be able to move my feet and just protect the rim and not -- just stay out of foul trouble and stay on the floor in the long stretches of the game, just being a presence around the rim and making sure I show my verticality and show the refs that I'm showing my hands.

Q. Obviously guys like having CP on the floor, but what has been the season-long process of being able to adjust to not just his injury but other things throughout the season? How does that translate in this series?

DEANDRE AYTON: We faced a lot of adversity with injuries and stuff like that. But Monty's a coach who really -- the man know show to encounter adversity. I don't know how, but he just knows. And he makes us feel comfortable with change. The thing he does best is just communicating the things we do best and just stick to that throughout the season and that's what we're doing now throughout the playoffs. We really haven't changed the way we play and we approach the game the right way. And we practice, we play hard, we're always on each other. You know, somebody really can't get away with anything on this team, we work hard.

Q. What's been the evolution for you learning how to take what Devin does on offense and kind of supplement it? It seems like you have gotten a lot more comfortable with that and making teams sort of have to choose. I guess, do you think that's why you guys are so hard to beat?

DEANDRE AYTON: Me, first of all, first time I'm here I met Book doing all that, you know what I'm saying? So I was going to have to adjust regardless. But just really adapting to how, what's his favorite thing to do and knowing the gray areas that I can take care of and either get second-chance buckets or just being a presence down low where everybody can be worried about me and you got shooters wide open, stuff like that. And that's what I've just grown on, setting great screens, punishing mismatches and just really crashing that glass, man.