Heading into the NBA playoffs, the Los Angeles Lakers really didn’t know what they were going to get out of veteran center Deandre Ayton, who has had a lot of hot and cold performances over the course of his first season with the team. Ayton’s presence in the paint against the best rebounding team in the NBA while going head-to-head with two-time All-Star Alperen Sengun was going to be crucial to the Lakers’ success in this first-round playoff series against the Houston Rockets. Fortunately for Los Angeles, Ayton showed up in a big way, especially on the boards, helping the Lakers pull off the series upset against Houston. Marcus Smart Didn’t Hold Back About Lakers’ X-Factor: Deandre Ayton Deandre Ayton and Marcus Smart | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images One-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year and the Lakers’ undisputed defensive leader, Marcus Smart , had high praise for Ayton’s performance on that end of the floor after the series-clinching win in Game 6. “For me, it's D.A,” Smart said.…