Ready for the show
Ayton shakes off nerves, prepares to shine in NBA
In the moment, Deandre Ayton was nervous that he would miss.
He’d done it a million times. He had great position on the court. The other team knew it was coming, but he liked his approach. He had almost a foot advantage. Still, the rookie center was nervous.
It wasn’t a shot. He was just going in for the handshake with Steph Curry.
“It was in warmups and he was shooting, and I just came down, and he just told me ‘Congratulations!’ and I was like ‘OK!’” Ayton recalled earlier this week. “I was nervous, but I still shook his hand. I don’t think I missed. I think I’m a Splash Bro now.”
The Suns’ preseason game against Golden State put Ayton on the same court as Curry and Kevin Durant, two players he’s admired from afar for
years. Before the game, he felt butterflies in his stomach and sweat on the palms of his hands.
The sweaty hands didn’t show. Ayton finished the night with 18 points and seven rebounds as the Suns left Oracle Arena with the 117-109 win over the defending champs.
Whether or not the handshake was an official introduction into the Splash Brothers fraternity, it was still important in another way. Ayton can now start viewing NBA superstars as his peers.
“Stuff like that is really an honor and an inspiration to see some of the guys that you looked up to and you’ve been watching. Just being on the same floor is a dream come true,” Ayton said.
He says the butterflies are gone, and they’re gone for good. Now, he’s just focused on competing.
His first chance came on national television in the regular-season opener, threaded with the story line of the Suns facing Luka Doncic, who some projected would go first in the draft.
Despite the spotlight, coaches and teammates all backed up what Ayton said: He didn’t seem to be that nervous.
He certainly seemed loose after Wednesday’s shootaround. He shouted, “Today’s going to be a great day!” as he sprinted to the practice court. He joked with the media, but he was firm in his plan to go home, play with his dog and play NBA 2K – most likely against the Mavericks – to relax before the big game.
Don’t confuse the nonchalance for not caring; Ayton simply got all of his nerves out during the preseason.
Kokoskov says that Ayton’s “energy is a talent.” He saw the No. 1 draft pick use the preseason to work on adjusting his game to the next level and get over the hump of being starstruck.
“As a young player, you don’t know how to pace yourself, you don’t know what to expect,” Kokoskov said. “But it’s good. It’s good that he has an excitement. Hopefully as long as he plays basketball, he’ll going to have the same kind of excitement about the next game. It’s good stuff. He’s a competitor.”
For a wide-eyed rookie, it was an initiation of sorts, especially as it’s something all players go through as they join the league.
Josh Jackson, just one year removed from those rookie jitters, can easily relate.
“My second game in my NBA career, I was guarding Blake Griffin,” Jackson said.
“I was barely 200 pounds, this guy was maybe 260, so I was having a tough time. That was one of my ‘welcome to the league’ moments.”
For four-year standout Devin Booker, it was not only about the star power of the players he was facing, it was also about the age chasm.
“My first start ever was against the San Antonio Spurs with (Manu) Ginobili and Tony Parker on the floor, guys that have been in the league since I was 1 or 2 years old, that I’ve always watched and admired,” Booker said.
Jackson and Booker know what Ayton’s going through. They also can project what will come next. One day, it will be Ayton who’s causing the next generations of rookies to feel that awe when they step on the court.
In the meantime, it’s back to business.
“I don’t think he’s that nervous,” Booker said Wednesday. “I think he’s going to be fine. It’s still basketball at the end of the day.
“You get nervous, you get all riled up for the first game, and then you take your first five trips down the floor, and it’s back to the game that you’ve been playing your whole life.”