The Phoenix Suns selected Deandre Ayton first overall in the 2018 NBA Draft, as they opted to select the hometown player to pair Devin Booker with a franchise center for years to come. Unfortunately, Ayton would be selected over two likely Hall of Famers in Luka Doncic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, meaning the bar has always been set sky high for him.

After five up-and-down years with the Suns, Ayton spent two years with the Portland Trail Blazers before ending up on the Los Angeles Lakers this offseason. A move many were skeptical of, given Ayton's past, it has paid off tremendously so far this season, with the former top pick looking like a key piece to this Lakers' future.

JJ Redick Shines Light On Ayton

Throughout his career, Ayton has been known more for his offensive contributions than his defensive ones, as he's lacked focus and effort on that end over his career. However, Ayton has started to turn it around with the Lakers, and helped fuel a strong defensive half by the team in their recent win over the Philadelphia 76ers.

After the game, Lakers head coach JJ Redick had some high praise for Ayton, citing him as a main reason for their second-half turnaround on the defensive end.

"I thought [Deandre Ayton] in particular led on that end of the floor for us. He did a ton of stuff, he was in drop, being disruptive, he was getting loose balls, he was blocking shots, he was switching onto [Tyrese] Maxey. Whatever we needed him to do on that end of the floor in the second half, he was great," Redick shared.

Ayton's box score numbers won't jump out defensively, but he did record a block and a steal while grabbing 10 defensive rebounds. If anything, it was his offensive numbers that jumped out, as he was perfect from the field on seven attempts, scoring 14 points.

With LeBron James, Luka Doncic, and Austin Reaves expected to carry a majority of the load on offense, Ayton and others on the team need to step up on the defensive side to counteract them.

As of Monday, Ayton is averaging 15.3 points, 8.8 rebounds, and shooting 70.6% from the field, which ranks second in the league. With an $8.1 million player option this coming offseason, he'll likely decline it as the team could be lined up to hand out lucrative extensions to both Reaves and Ayton this coming summer.