On March 14, Beijing time, the NBA regular season continued, and the Suns defeated the Lakers 140-111. In this game, the Suns had an overwhelming advantage on the inside, and the inside score was a 76-36 net win of 40 points. Main center Ayton is a large double-double that efficiently cut 23 points and 16 rebounds on 11 of 14 shooting.
So why did Ayton explode in this game? He also gave the answer in an interview with the media after the game, because Ayton believes that the Lakers dare to defend him with 5 small lineups, which is an act of lack of respect for him.
'When there's a team that uses a small squad against me, I feel not respected, that's what I do and I punish teams like that.' Ayton said in an interview.
In this game, Lakers coach Vogel chose a 5-small lineup for James to play as a center, and he also admitted that he knew that such a lineup would be uncomfortable facing Edon, but he wanted to rely on 5 small efficient offense to fight the Suns. However, it turns out that the Lakers' offensive efficiency is not good, but it is defensive, which is completely blown up by Ayton and Booker.
In fact, the Lakers still have Howard, a big center, but he is not trusted and valued by Vogel, playing only 17 minutes in the whole game, with 2 points and 5 rebounds. Although Howard's current competitive state, it is basically impossible to completely lock up Ayton, but at least with him, it will not let Ayton play so easily.
The 5 squad is indeed more offensively efficient than the Howard squad, but the 5 squad is more suitable for use in the transition stage or at a critical moment in the game, and is not suitable for use at the beginning. The next time you meet a team with a strong interior like Ayton, Vogel may still let Howard play first, and then use 5 small lineups.