Does Deandre Ayton Have a Legitimate Case for Finals MVP?

Deandre Ayton has been a revelation for the Phoenix Suns this postseason, and he’s playing himself into a major contract extension on their run. 

Ayton was dominant in Game 1 of the NBA Finals against the Milwaukee Bucks, as he scored 22 points on 8-of-10 shooting and grabbed 18 rebounds for his 12th double-double of the playoffs. 

The performance gives Ayton the second-most playoff double-doubles in franchise history, and he’s got a chance to break another one of Charles Barkley’s records in the Suns’ next playoff run.

Ayton took advantage of the Bucks’ decision to switch in the pick-and-roll in Game 1, and he feasted on matchups with the smaller P.J. Tucker. Milwaukee certainly needs to fix its defensive scheme, as Chris Paul and Devin Booker took Brook Lopez to school in Game 1, but Ayton has been just as big of a beneficiary. 

WynnBET still has Ayton as a long shot to win NBA Finals MVP at +1000 odds, but I think there’s some serious value in taking him to win the award. 

Paul is a major favorite right now at -140 odds, but if the Suns win the series, Booker and Ayton will also be in the conversation. 

I know picking a center to win Finals MVP may seem like a crazy take, but Ayton has been arguably the Suns’ MVP all postseason. He leads the entire NBA in postseason win shares at 3.0, and Paul is third at 2.4. Ayton even has more offensive win shares (1.7) than CP3 (1.5) this postseason.

The Suns have been significantly better with Ayton on the floor in the playoffs, as he’s sixth in the NBA in offensive rating (136.9) and seventh in defensive rating (105.4) which are both the best marks on the team. 

Paul and Booker are going to control the clutch-time buckets this postseason, but there is no doubt the Suns wouldn’t be here without Ayton. 

The consistency that the big man has shown these playoffs may be the key to his Finals MVP case, as he’s scored in double-figures in 11 straight games and put up eight double-doubles over that stretch. 

If Booker or Paul go through a rough stretch scoring like they did in the Western Conference Finals, Ayton may have a chance to sneak up the odds board. At +1000 odds, Ayton is worth a look as the Finals MVP.