All Things Ayton

[virtual9mm]

There's a nice bit of nasty in these clips, made me think of a Kemp or an Amare with the slimmed down build. Let's see if this carries over.

[TOO]

Cornrows and porn stars got Ayton feeling frisky.

[Flagrant Fowl]

https://x.com/saul_bookman/status/16913 ... akNDborzFQ

This stuff should be expected against the competition he faced and I'd feel better about it if he didn't nearly drop the pass and lose his dribble. I'm skeptical of that play ending the same against a lot of NBA defenders, but it is a step up from dunking on teenagers earlier in the Summer.

[Flagrant Fowl]

[Split T]

https://x.com/saul_bookman/status/16913 ... akNDborzFQ

It’s a move we’ve been asking for for a few years now. Let’s hope he keeps trying it against nba players.

[In2ition]

I hate to be that guy, but...he almost lost that easy pass as he tried to catch it under the ball and it almost rolled off his hands. I would have liked to see him catch it cleanly, keep his dribble tight and compact as he's driving to the hoop.

[ShelC]

I saw similar highlights when he was in college. It's encouraging but I'm not going overboard that he made plays against a 29 yr old center from Cuba. The release point on his jumper still looked higher than its been, so that's translating to gameplay which is good. The footwork down the lane still looked choppy but at least he made it to the rim for the dunk. What FF was saying about his defense is disappointing because he should be dominating on that end.

[Shabazz]

https://instagram.com/stories/mikalbrid ... BiNWFlZA==

He seems much more aggressive, which is nice and 22-10 is nothing to sneeze at. He seems to really struggle with catching and holding the ball in nearly every play.

[Kryptonic]

https://x.com/saul_bookman/status/16913 ... akNDborzFQ

It’s a move we’ve been asking for for a few years now. Let’s hope he keeps trying it against nba players.

He’s looking a lot more like stat…. Liking it.

[In2ition]

Do you remember those slippery water snake toys? It feels like the ball is like that in his hands at times. If he could figure that out, it would help him tremendously. I could see as a teammate how frustrating it would be for him to fumble things that seem like they would be the easiest thing in basketball to do.

[Wally_West]

Just feels nitpicking to focus on Ayton’s “disappointing” defense in a 40 point blow out. He was late on a rotation? Okay, they’re up 40 points, who gives a shit? The dude was a +37. This was a much more talented team doing what it’s supposed to do and beat up a much less talented team. That’s my big take away from this, also that Buddy Hield is a future sun.

Cool to see everyone play so well, hopefully they continue that!

[JeremyG]

https://instagram.com/stories/mikalbrid ... BiNWFlZA==

He seems much more aggressive, which is nice and 22-10 is nothing to sneeze at.

On 71.4% shooting in 25 minutes. With a game-high +37.

He seems to really struggle with catching and holding the ball in nearly every play.

I don't see that in the first 4 plays or so in that clip. How about we wait until he has more than 1 turnover to be concerned about it? Some players have a difficult time adjusting to the FIBA ball when they're not used to it.

[djy2j]

Looked aggressive out there. Don't care what his stats are really just as long as he plays aggressive. Look forward to it carrying over in the regular season.

[Shabazz]

Honestly, the thing that will be most important this year is his defense. Every other concern with him, the free throw rate, the bobbling, the dribbling, the shot selection, is secondary. If he can anchor a defense and get back to the level he was at 2 seasons ago, that is maybe the most critical x-factor for the Suns as a team.

[Superbone]

I saw similar highlights when he was in college. It's encouraging but I'm not going overboard that he made plays against a 29 yr old center from Cuba. The release point on his jumper still looked higher than its been, so that's translating to gameplay which is good. The footwork down the lane still looked choppy but at least he made it to the rim for the dunk. What FF was saying about his defense is disappointing because he should be dominating on that end.

I don't think anybody is going overboard. It's encouraging is all. We're all just hoping it translates to the upcoming season. I'm just glad to see him showing aggression. And I'm with 'Bazz, the most important thing this season will be if he can anchor our defense.

[AmareIsGod]

I saw similar highlights when he was in college. It's encouraging but I'm not going overboard that he made plays against a 29 yr old center from Cuba. The release point on his jumper still looked higher than its been, so that's translating to gameplay which is good. The footwork down the lane still looked choppy but at least he made it to the rim for the dunk. What FF was saying about his defense is disappointing because he should be dominating on that end.

I don't think anybody is going overboard. It's encouraging is all. We're all just hoping it translates to the upcoming season. I'm just glad to see him showing aggression. And I'm with 'Bazz, the most important thing this season will be if he can anchor our defense.

Agree. Those college highlights, by the way, were over the span of the entire season. He had several aggressive moves and dunks in this one game alone. The things I was hoping to see. Imagine if we saw him out there vs Cuba doing layups at the rim or kicking out right when he gets the ball near the post. People would lose their collective minds with frustration. Dude did everything I hoped to see out him and I have to give him his due. I expected to see, against Cuba of all teams, the typical Ayton we've seen. He looked lean, aggressive and focused. Well done. I hope it continues as it appears he's been taking things to heart.

[JeremyG]

I saw similar highlights when he was in college. It's encouraging but I'm not going overboard that he made plays against a 29 yr old center from Cuba. The release point on his jumper still looked higher than its been, so that's translating to gameplay which is good. The footwork down the lane still looked choppy but at least he made it to the rim for the dunk. What FF was saying about his defense is disappointing because he should be dominating on that end.

I don't think anybody is going overboard. It's encouraging is all. We're all just hoping it translates to the upcoming season. I'm just glad to see him showing aggression. And I'm with 'Bazz, the most important thing this season will be if he can anchor our defense.

He certainly can. And with Vogel as head coach, I'm confident that he will.

[virtual9mm]

I saw similar highlights when he was in college. It's encouraging but I'm not going overboard that he made plays against a 29 yr old center from Cuba. The release point on his jumper still looked higher than its been, so that's translating to gameplay which is good. The footwork down the lane still looked choppy but at least he made it to the rim for the dunk. What FF was saying about his defense is disappointing because he should be dominating on that end.

I don't think anybody is going overboard. It's encouraging is all. We're all just hoping it translates to the upcoming season. I'm just glad to see him showing aggression. And I'm with 'Bazz, the most important thing this season will be if he can anchor our defense.

He certainly can. And with Vogel as head coach, I'm confident that he will.

Hear. Hear.

[Superbone]

I saw similar highlights when he was in college. It's encouraging but I'm not going overboard that he made plays against a 29 yr old center from Cuba. The release point on his jumper still looked higher than its been, so that's translating to gameplay which is good. The footwork down the lane still looked choppy but at least he made it to the rim for the dunk. What FF was saying about his defense is disappointing because he should be dominating on that end.

I don't think anybody is going overboard. It's encouraging is all. We're all just hoping it translates to the upcoming season. I'm just glad to see him showing aggression. And I'm with 'Bazz, the most important thing this season will be if he can anchor our defense.

He certainly can. And with Vogel as head coach, I'm confident that he will.

Hear. Hear.

Here’s to hoping.

[Flagrant Fowl]

Heads up, the Bahamas play Argentina today at 5:10pm AZ time (if my math checks out).

This should be a more competitive game than the previous against Cuba and the Argentinians should benefit from a home crowd. They've yet to play a game in this tournament so far.