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iLLmatic wrote: ↑

Wed Jun 23, 2021 8:54 am

Stupid thread.

I'm just giving people a hard time (mostly). Folks were justified in questioning him given his inconsistent play, his lack of aggressiveness in the past, his questionable decisions such as the PED suspension, and his braggardly comments before he had accomplished anything. But the Ayton we're seeing in the late part of this season and especially in the playoffs should be squashing doubts that he can be a great player.

I really think this playoff Ayton we're watching has a lot to do with him becoming a father.
And Ayton saying he'll keep last game jersey to give to his son is just more proof.

I have been one of the biggest Ayton supporters here. I wanted to bench him until he got his head on straight a couple of times this year because I knew there was more there. It is finally coming out.

I already atoned for my skepticism before the WCF started. The level he's playing at now is franchise changing stuff, and I didn't think he had it in him to do it consistently in games that matter.

Now this doesn't mean I won't drop a few explicit comments if he loafs through a stretch of games next December. I still love the guy though, and I hope he plays for 20 years in a Suns uniform.

I just figured he would just take some time. He's become a better defensive player than I thought he would be, but I just wish they'd use him for more than setting screens and running the pick and roll on offense. He's much better when you keep him engaged.

Ultimately we'll probably consider him the second best talent in that draft, but the best fit if you want your team to be a consistent contender.

The Bobster wrote: ↑

Wed Jun 23, 2021 4:43 pm

I just figured he would just take some time. He's become a better defensive player than I thought he would be, but I just wish they'd use him for more than setting screens and running the pick and roll on offense. He's much better when you keep him engaged.

You can stay engaged without getting the ball, which is something he’s starting to learn. If you’re setting screens and rolling and generating gravity, you can be a contributor to the offense without getting the ball or putting up numbers.

I’m very impressed with him, but I also think he’s only scratching the surface. He’s not your usual, “been playing basketball since he was kid” guy. He basically got scouted because he was so tall for his age, then he was basically shipped off away from home without any parents to go play basketball in another country. I think he’s a hard worker and extremely bright, he’s also very humble and wants to learn. He says some immature things sometimes, but keep in mind he’s had little to no adult guidance in his life. Compare that to Booker who had a father that played in the league grooming him and coaching him from childhood.

One thing I noticed from Ayton, he does better when he goes up against someone he’s gone up against before. If you look at the games he struggled, most of the time it was someone new he was guarding. His natural instincts suck, but he studies well. Why he struggled against the likes of Eubanks on the Spurs, but can hold his own against Jokic. And the more he plays the more he’s learning, and at a very fast rate.

Comparing him to Luka is crazy. One has been a pro since he was 16. The other was barely picking up a ball at that age.

I really liked what I heard on the broadcast last night about Monty telling Ayton there is a difference to playing/practicing hard enough to get paid vs to be great. And that it pissed Ayton off when he said that to him.

Indy wrote: ↑

Fri Jun 25, 2021 9:33 am

I really liked what I heard on the broadcast last night about Monty telling Ayton there is a difference to playing/practicing hard enough to get paid vs to be great. And that it pissed Ayton off when he said that to him.

It reminds me of this moment from Kara Lawson talking to her players about the difference between working hard and competing:

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The best compliment you can give/receive in sports.... <a href="https://t.co/RnJGawf6pQ">pic.twitter.co ... </p>&mdash; Kara Lawson (@karalawson20) <a href=" 9, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

that was fantastic

JUST CHECKING IN

Here's one thing I've been thinking about while watching his post game pressers. We forget how young he is! He's only 22. This is when most kids are graduating from college. The NBA has been Ayton's college. He's had great professors in Jones, Williams, and Paul. He's growing up before our eyes. He has improved SO much since we drafted him. This is his coming out party. This IS a number one overall draft pick. It just took him a tick to get there.

Superbone wrote: ↑

Sun Jun 27, 2021 12:55 pm

Here's one thing I've been thinking about while watching his post game pressers. We forget how young he is! He's only 22. This is when most kids are graduating from college. The NBA has been Ayton's college. He's had great professors in Jones, Williams, and Paul. He's growing up before our eyes. He has improved SO much since we drafted him. This is his coming out party. This IS a number one overall draft pick. It just took him a tick to get there.

Yea like most have observed
You could see the change in his interviews during the season and now the play is Maturing too

I don't want to compare Ayton to some of the greats, except for his age. He's still younger than Patrick Ewing & David Robinson were as rookies, the same age as Hakeem as a rookie and only a yr older than Tim Duncan as a rookie. He is still developing and his book is still being written.

Happy to be wrong on this. I’ve been off the DA train since his suspension and subpar showing in the bubble. He has been our most consistent player in the playoffs. He can sleepwalk through every regular season if this is the standard playoff DA

In2ition wrote: ↑

Sun Jun 27, 2021 1:07 pm

I don't want to compare Ayton to some of the greats, except for his age. He's still younger than Patrick Ewing & David Robinson were as rookies, the same age as Hakeem as a rookie and only a yr older than Tim Duncan as a rookie. He is still developing and his book is still being written.

I’ve been saying this for 2 years. I even did a whole post comparing his stats to many of the great centers when they were around his age.

So looks like those of us who doubted Ayton are the reason he’s been so good. Some thanks would be appreciated

Split T wrote: ↑

Sun Jun 27, 2021 4:37 pm

So looks like those of us who doubted Ayton are the reason he’s been so good. Some thanks would be appreciated

Yeah, for all of us who ever doubted Ayton, do we get our own appreciation thread?!

On Twitter one of the Suns reporters was talking about this subject and said something like, "See? Cyber bullying works."

I know this person is probably joking, but that's awfully tone deaf...