Ayton’s sprain goes beyond the injury
PORTLAND – Deandre Ayton was in good spirits in the locker room after Saturday’s win at Sacramento that snapped Phoenix’s eight-game losing streak.
Chatting it up as always. Could’ve sworn that was him singing outside the room that night at Golden 1 Center.
Didn’t appear to walk with a limp in his lowcut sneakers.
Ayton wasn’t wearing a boot or anything and has been listed as “day-today,” but he remains out and likely won’t play New Year’s Day at the Los Angeles Lakers.
Here’s the deal.
This looks worse because Ayton had already missed 25 games due to suspension for violating the NBA/NBPA antidrug policy.
Then he sprains his ankle in the return game Phoenix lost to the Los Angeles Clippers and hasn’t played since.
Ayton has played twice in 23 games.
Had Ayton played the early part of the season, got hurt and missed a handful of games, it’d be a problem, but not one that has left a large segment of Suns’ fans in a social media outrage.
They’ve resorted to name calling, questioning his toughness. Seeing Luka Doncic having an MVP-type season and return from an ankle injury himself after four games is making matters worse.
The more Ayton sits, the pressure to perform at a high level when he comes back continues to grow on the outside. Phoenix would love to have him back, but is being very cautious with him.
This isn’t the 1980s when guys just strapped on extra tape and played through pain, but being the top pick in the draft comes with expectations that one is to battle through whatever to help your team.
However, Ayton can get back in the fans’ good graces by playing well once he returns.
The Suns have shown they can win without him, but they are a better team with Ayton. He gives them athleticism, rebounding, a defensive presence and puts everyone back in their normal rotation spots.
Bottom line, Phoenix is eyeing that final playoff spot.
Ayton’s absence is hurting those chances.
The Suns desperately want to return to the postseason for the first time since 2010, but they’re trying to balance preseason expectations, the elevated ones after the 7-4 start and the current ones that aren’t as high as the playoff ones but not as low as the preseason ones.
And Ayton sits in the middle of it all with an ankle injury that’s apparently severe enough to keep him out of action for six games – and counting.
‘By committee’ best option at backup PG?
Let’s rewind to October.
Flagstaff. Training camp.
Monty Williams hadn’t seen enough to determine who will serve as his backup point guard to Ricky Rubio, but he said that person must be “most steady” player on the team.
The Suns are 30-plus games into the season, 2020 is upon them, but they are as unsteady at that position as ever.
Jevon Carter, Ty Jerome, Elie Okobo or Tyler Johnson have had moments, flashes and even solid stretches of games, but none have solidified themselves at that position.
That’s left Williams saying the position will be done “by committee,” which sounds very familiar with what Phoenix dealt with last season under Igor Kokoskov.
For example.
Williams took Okobo out of the Denver game Dec. 23 after seeing him miss a defensive assignment. He was quite stern with Okobo and didn’t play him the rest of the game.
Jerome took Okobo’s place. You figured Okobo would be in the doghouse for quite some time after Williams screamed at him “I don’t want to hear it” on the bench.
Adding the veteran Rubio addressed the starter problem, but the backup spot remains a problem on multiple levels.
Let’s address two of them.
Continuity
By not having a go-to at that position, it impacts the rotation and chemistry. It’s a team game, but some guys play better with others. So that impacts who Williams has on the floor when he inserts one of them in the lineup.
For example, when Okobo has recently come in, he’s shared the floor with Rubio and played off the ball. It plays into his aggressiveness and scoring ability, but he can be a liability on the defensive end.
Playmaking
All four can make a play, but they haven’t shown the ability to do it on a consistent basis over the course of a few games.
Okobo, Jerome, Johnson and Carter average a combined 8.1 assists going into Monday’s games on a team that leads the league in that department.
Rubio alone averages 9.2. They’re not Rubio, but they need to be able to do more than just swing the ball.
Carter and Okobo at times dribble too much. Jerome has a good feel for the game, but the rookie is still adjusting to the speed and athleticism of the game. Johnson is the most experienced, but he is more comfortable playing on the wing.