30 NBA Players in 30 Days: Deandre Ayton
For Day 28 of our NBA season countdown, we touch down in Phoenix to break down the roller coaster of an offseason for the Suns, as well as break down the most important player for their success this year, Deandre Ayton. We can talk about it right off the bat. In an ESPN report from September 27, Ayton said that he and head coach Monty Williams still have not spoke since he benched Ayton in that horrible Game 7 loss to the Dallas Mavericks, when they blew the Suns off of their home floor in a win or go home game to close the 2nd round of the playoffs. All of this drama between Ayton and the Suns organization was felt throughout the entirety of last season when the Suns did not offer him the max rookie extension before the deadline. He now has a new contract after the Suns had to match the offer sheet that the Pacers offered him this past summer. Apparently this week, Ayton has said that everything is “back to normal” with Monty Williams. This type of back and forth between the two entities of star player and organization happens way more than it should in the NBA, and it is the reason why the Suns might have missed their window with his core of Ayton, Booker, and CP3. Things like this usually do not end up well for players who have not spent a long time playing together. And maybe that is why stars in today’s league are looking for the next franchise to move on to more often than not. This upcoming season would be the core’s third season together. We often forget that continuity and a solid foundation of players who have played together for several years can be an advantage, rather than bolstering a team with an immense amount of talent. The Suns face an uphill battle this season to reach the mountaintop they were at when they made the Finals in 2021, and Ayton will have a lot to do with that.
Ayton’s production went up this past season from his first three seasons. And it is not really his statistical output that I want to discuss, nor do I think it is something that needs to drastically change for the Suns to be better. It’s time to put on my “mental analysis glasses” for this breakdown. In the 2021 playoffs, Ayton was a different person than who he was last season. He was very good defensively, held his own against an immovable force in Giannis, and was decisive offensively. There is a characteristic that Ayton needs to develop, and that is knowing that as one of the biggest people on the court, he needs to play like it. There has been a lot of debate with Anthony Davis in terms of him playing more physically and playing up to his size. I think Ayton has that same internal issue where he ends up playing softer than he should. I know he is great at those free-throw line and elbow jumpers, as well as the little 5–7 foot push shots. Maybe it’s because when I watch him, it looks awkward, but to be a dominant center like Jokić or Embiid, there needs to be some sort of physicality. My gripe with Ayton is not that he is not as good as he projects, it’s that I think he can be so much better with his physical attributes paired with his skill set. A big man with touch should use that gift in certain spots, and not predicate his entire offensive arsenal with it. The problem with Anthony Davis is that for a big, athletic 7-footer, he plays the game like a 6–6 wing. Yes, his skills allow him to be that offensively, but in today’s NBA, a player like Davis or Ayton are usually the only centers on the court for that particular team. There’s a reason why the Lakers 2020 championship was possible when Dwight Howard and JaVale McGee added a flavor of physicality and bruising play to their big lineups. Not only does Ayton have to be very good at using his touch as a center, he also needs to play like the biggest player on the court. That includes rim protection, elite rebounding, and the want to go through you rather than over you.
The Suns and Ayton certainly reached a fork in the road this offseason, but the quality of great teams is that they get through adversity together and doing that improves the chemistry between everyone on the team. Will the 2021–2022 season’s storylines have too much unwanted weight for the team to carry this season, or will they respond positively and compete with the best of the Western Conference? That load will be on Ayton’s shoulders throughout the season, and he will dictate the Sun’s success going forward.
