Is Ayton still key for Suns?
Former No. 1 pick remains an important piece amid the meteoric rise of Doncic
Every clutch play Luka Doncic made this season, especially in the NBA restart in Orlando, made a considerable amount of Phoenix Suns fans further question their franchise selecting Deandre Ayton over the Mavericks’ star.
The Suns passed on the point guard from Slovenia to take the one-and-done All-American out of Arizona with the top pick in the 2018 draft. Ayton’s averaged a double-double in his two NBA seasons, but hasn’t become an All-Star, first-team
All-NBA pick or led his team to the playoffs like Doncic has in Dallas.
Getting suspended for 25 games after testing positive for a diuretic, battling injuries and missing a COVID-19 testing window in the bubble hasn’t helped Ayton’s status to some. Those incidents have in many ways overshadowed the dominant stretches of basketball he’s played in the league.
The Ayton era in Phoenix hasn’t even led to a winning record, but Monty Williams has preached having patience with big men.
People see that size, skill and athleticism and have a tough time accepting that idea.
Ayton hasn’t lived up to expectations, his actions have led to maturity questions, but Phoenix can’t afford to give up on him now.
Imagine him becoming a great player for a playoff team somewhere else.
That’d look worse for Phoenix than choosing Ayton over Doncic. It’d ultimately mean Phoenix didn’t do its part for him to have major success.
Williams had patience with Anthony Davis in New Orleans, another one-anddone taken No. 1 overall.
Now one the NBA’s top players, Davis became a perennial All-Star with the Pelicans and won an NBA title in his first season with LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers this season.
The Suns aren’t championship contenders. Not even close.
They have their franchise player in All-Star Devin Booker, some up-andcoming pieces, but Ayton may very well be the main reason Phoenix goes from up-and-coming to a playoff mainstay for years to come.
Ayton has a unique skill set for a man his size.
● Quick feet to contain guards on the perimeter on switches in the pick-androll.
● Jump shot is pretty much money when he shoots it with arc.
● Runs the floor better than most NBA bigs.
● Has tremendous timing on catching and finishing lob passes.
● Can cover major ground defensively to challenge shots.
Ayton’s talent can be as a tease, though, because he doesn’t display it consistently enough.
That opens the door to criticize his lack of aggressiveness, concentration and focus.
Ayton has too many buts right now.
● Talented, skilled, but isn’t aggressive enough.
● Fun-loving, entertaining and engaging, but got suspended 25 games.
Could be a great big man, but he isn’t close to that right now.
Highs and lows
His numbers follow the same trend. Ayton averaged 18.2 points on 54.6% shooting from the field, 11.5 rebounds and 1.5 blocks last season, but only played 38 games.
The latter number is disappointing, but here’s another way of looking at it.
Phoenix went 20-18 with Ayton on the floor.
So more than half of Phoenix’s wins came when Ayton played as the Suns finished 34-39.
Ayton had some downers in those wins with two coming in Phoenix’s impressive 8-0 bubble run.
7 points (3-of-8 FG), 8 rebounds, five fouls in 117-115 win vs. Dallas.
● 8 points, (4-of-10 FG), 12 rebounds in 130-117 win vs. Philadelphia, which didn’t play All-Star center Joel Embiid.
He attempted only 11 free throws in a total of 240 minutes of play in the bubble.
Not good. Not good at all for someone who is 6-11, 250 pounds and very athletic.
Ayton also came up big during that eight-game winning streak to close out the season.
● 24 points (11-of-14 FG, 2-of-3 from 3), 12 rebounds, two blocks in 125-112 win vs. Washington.
● 23 points (11-of-18 FG), 10 rebounds, four blocks, two steals in 114-99 win vs. Indiana.
He posted three double-doubles, hit his first career 3 and only committed three turnovers total in those final four games after having four against the Pacers.
While his play had highs and lows, Ayton drew the wrong kind of attention for not starting against Oklahoma City after missing that testing window for the coronavirus in the bubble.
Ayton gives numerous reasons to question if he’ll ever reach his full potential, but he has also shown why Phoenix drafted him first overall.
It was a year ago when Ayton opened his second NBA season with 18 points, 11 rebounds, four blocks and a steal in Phoenix’s 29-point drumming of Sacramento on Oct. 23, 2019.
Two days later, Ayton began serving his 25-game suspension Oct. 25 at Denver and didn’t play again until Dec.17 in Los Angeles against the Clippers.
They won four of their first six games without him, but the Suns wound up going 10-15 during that 25-game stretch. Ayton then suffered an ankle injury in his return game and missed five more games.
The Suns only won once – 112-110 squeaker at Sacramento – in those five games Ayton was out.
Ayton only played in three of Phoenix’s first 33 games as the Suns were 1320 going into the New Year.
This further shows his importance to the Suns.
Ayton begin finding his rhythm in January as he dropped a season-high 31 on 13-of-15 shooting in a 133-104 blitzing at Dallas.
That game set the tone for Ayton’s impressive run of play in February.
Averaging 21.5 points on 57.7% shooting, 12.5 rebounds and 1.9 blocks in 11 games that month, Ayton posted eight games of at least 20 points and eight double-doubles.
As good as Ayton was, Phoenix only won three of those 11 games.
When NBA commissioner Adam Silver pressed pause on the season March11 after Utah center Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19, Ayton was out with an ankle injury. The bubble gave him an opportunity to finish the season on the floor.
Ayton and the Suns played great, but they failed to make the play-in tournament for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
As Phoenix left the bubble, Doncic led Dallas into a first-round series against the Clippers.
He played sensational. Averaging 31 points, 9.8 rebounds and 8.7 assists, Doncic had two triple-doubles. He scored 42 in Game 1 and 43 in Game 4 capped by a dramatic 3 gamewinner at the buzzer in overtime to even the series.
The Clippers took the next two to eliminate Dallas, but Doncic showed why he’s a future MVP candidate.
Ayton may never reach that level at Phoenix – or anywhere else.
Right now, he’s on the wrong end of that draft day argument, but Phoenix can’t give up on him right now despite what critics say. He may very well be the main reason the Suns contend for a title someday.
That’s the best way for Ayton to prove they made the right decision to pick him instead of Doncic.