All Things Ayton

[Kryptonic]

If we're gonna winge over Ayton's sleepwalking stinkers, we gotta give him praise when he plays well like he did in Game 4. He'd be earning his salary if he played like this 80% of the time.

Obviously it wasn't a perfect game, but he was much better on a lot of the stuff that I usually complain about. He was very active in the paint, put pressure on the rim, and even dribbled the ball with purpose! Give him a hand! (oops, he dropped it )

Absolutely! He was good today…. Love it!

[carey]

I'll have to check out the full game cause Mason Plumlee was eating his lunch in the first half.

[JeremyG]

Mikal Bridges on viral argument with Deandre Ayton: ‘It hurt me too’

https://arizonasports.com/story/3521246 ... rt-me-too/

“That (expletive) hurt me too cause D.A. is one of my best friends,” Bridges said. “I was so locked in I was so pissed off because we were losing. I was trying to tell him to do this and that, and not thinking about his situation being the No. 1 pick and getting a lot of hate for no reason.

“The world looking at that, seeing me yelling at him always looking at that and saying ‘He’s the problem.’ I wasn’t thinking that at the moment but after the game I felt that. After coach talked I apologized in front of everyone. I was (expletive) tearing up because of that. That’s my best friend and at that moment I was embarrassing him.”

[Flagrant Fowl]

Man defends reputation of his proclaimed best friend. More news at 5.

[Aztec Sunsfan]

Mikal Bridges on viral argument with Deandre Ayton: ‘It hurt me too’

https://arizonasports.com/story/3521246 ... rt-me-too/

“That (expletive) hurt me too cause D.A. is one of my best friends,” Bridges said. “I was so locked in I was so pissed off because we were losing. I was trying to tell him to do this and that, and not thinking about his situation being the No. 1 pick and getting a lot of hate for no reason.

“The world looking at that, seeing me yelling at him always looking at that and saying ‘He’s the problem.’ I wasn’t thinking that at the moment but after the game I felt that. After coach talked I apologized in front of everyone. I was (expletive) tearing up because of that. That’s my best friend and at that moment I was embarrassing him.”

So, Ayton wants the goodies (the contract for a Nº 1 pick is humongous among rookies ) the accolades, and the recognition (after all, he is the one that started with the Dominayton moniker) but not the heat and the scrutiny?

Is hate to ask for what it’s supposed to be asked? I just saw “Air” and Matt Damon speech cover it very well: They will put you on a shrine, but then will ask for the impossible, and if you deliver, they will ask for more… that’s the life of a star athlete.

Sorry kid, but that’s what you signed for the moment you picked that second contract: no more waiting for potential, time to deliver.

[JeremyG]

I supported re-signing him as an asset and giving him a chance. But he's a waste of a max contract and we should get rid of him. I'd take minimal return so long as it freed up salary, or hopefully at least one usable wing or big back.

Okay this is just getting silly now.

You guys are totally missing how valuable a player like Ayton is to this team. Just to mention one aspect of Ayton’s value that was noticeable last night: since when does a center like Looney or others mentioned in this thread create gravity or draw a bunch of defenders into the paint, opening up the floor for his teammates?

Um he creates nothing for his teammates... KD, Booker and Paul do just fine without him. SMH.

I supported re-signing him as an asset and giving him a chance. But he's a waste of a max contract and we should get rid of him. I'd take minimal return so long as it freed up salary, or hopefully at least one usable wing or big back.

Okay this is just getting silly now.

You guys are totally missing how valuable a player like Ayton is to this team. Just to mention one aspect of Ayton’s value that was noticeable last night: since when does a center like Looney or others mentioned in this thread create gravity or draw a bunch of defenders into the paint, opening up the floor for his teammates?

Um he creates nothing for his teammates... KD, Booker and Paul do just fine without him. SMH.

All these guys have to create shots for him lol. There's a reason teas always blitz/trap the perimeter guys and let Ayton shoot jumpers to beat them. He can't do anything else.

Ayton doesn't "create gravity." Quite the opposite. He needs others like CP3 or KD to create gravity for him, so he can receive an open pass near the basket. I almost never see Ayton catch the ball and draw any double-team or other defenders. The other teams pretty quickly figure out that he's not a player you need to emphasize your defense around, and they guard him accordingly. Sure, sometimes Ayton has nice offensive games, giving you 18-20 points on high-percentage shooting. That isn't nothing. But it's rare, and it usually comes from the fact that the other team is spending its energy guarding other players like Book, KD, and CP3.

Phoenix Suns value Deandre Ayton's contributions in building 3-1 series lead over Clippers
Whether it's scoring, rebounding, diving to the rim to attract defensive attention or set specific screens for Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and Chris Paul, Deandre Ayton is playing a key role for Suns.
Duane Rankin
Arizona Republic
https://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/ ... 148231007/

“Just being a presence on both ends of the floor. Me rolling to the basket, I know that brings so much attention to the rim and so many guys load up on me when I’m rolling to the basket or anywhere around the basket,'' he said. "It gives those guys spaces like KD (Kevin Durant), Chris (Paul) and Book (Devin Booker), they do the rest. Just give them the space and they got it. Just being patient, playing circle ball.”

[...]

“He was just talking about his ability is have to be patient so that he knows what they’re doing and he can react and that is a great value for us,” Williams said.

“He could be frustrated, but he wasn’t. He understands his impact on winning and I just think it’s phenomenal that he’s of that mindset and understands that there’s going to be games where he scores and there’s going to be games where he’s doing what he did in the last two games, where he’s creating a lot of opportunities with space underneath the basket for other people.”

[...]

“Whatever they write about a guy not scoring an X amount, but the pressure that he’s putting on the rim and forcing guys to guard him around the basket is creating so many opportunities for Book and Kevin,” Williams said.

There's a whole dang article on it now--what you guys told me doesn't exist. I guess Monty doesn't have a clue what he's talking about either?

[TOO]

The same Monty you say has no idea how to use him?

[Superbone]

They're just trying to give him confidence and tell him he's an important part of what we do hoping he won't check out on us. Because all of that is true and when he is engaged, he takes us to the next level.

[Superbone]

TNT Inside broached the low motor comment last night and dominAyton's response. It's true it was a crummy question and the timing was horrible. But all of them to a man, Shaq included, thought Ayton is too passive. Apparently, this is the first time Ernie ever heard Ayton describe himself as dominAyton. He thought it was clever but none of them thought he lived up to it.

[Flagrant Fowl]

Now we know what Jeremy is gifting his entire family for Christmas this year.

[Kryptonic]

I supported re-signing him as an asset and giving him a chance. But he's a waste of a max contract and we should get rid of him. I'd take minimal return so long as it freed up salary, or hopefully at least one usable wing or big back.

Okay this is just getting silly now.

You guys are totally missing how valuable a player like Ayton is to this team. Just to mention one aspect of Ayton’s value that was noticeable last night: since when does a center like Looney or others mentioned in this thread create gravity or draw a bunch of defenders into the paint, opening up the floor for his teammates?

Um he creates nothing for his teammates... KD, Booker and Paul do just fine without him. SMH.

I supported re-signing him as an asset and giving him a chance. But he's a waste of a max contract and we should get rid of him. I'd take minimal return so long as it freed up salary, or hopefully at least one usable wing or big back.

Okay this is just getting silly now.

You guys are totally missing how valuable a player like Ayton is to this team. Just to mention one aspect of Ayton’s value that was noticeable last night: since when does a center like Looney or others mentioned in this thread create gravity or draw a bunch of defenders into the paint, opening up the floor for his teammates?

Um he creates nothing for his teammates... KD, Booker and Paul do just fine without him. SMH.

All these guys have to create shots for him lol. There's a reason teas always blitz/trap the perimeter guys and let Ayton shoot jumpers to beat them. He can't do anything else.

Ayton doesn't "create gravity." Quite the opposite. He needs others like CP3 or KD to create gravity for him, so he can receive an open pass near the basket. I almost never see Ayton catch the ball and draw any double-team or other defenders. The other teams pretty quickly figure out that he's not a player you need to emphasize your defense around, and they guard him accordingly. Sure, sometimes Ayton has nice offensive games, giving you 18-20 points on high-percentage shooting. That isn't nothing. But it's rare, and it usually comes from the fact that the other team is spending its energy guarding other players like Book, KD, and CP3.

Phoenix Suns value Deandre Ayton's contributions in building 3-1 series lead over Clippers
Whether it's scoring, rebounding, diving to the rim to attract defensive attention or set specific screens for Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and Chris Paul, Deandre Ayton is playing a key role for Suns.
Duane Rankin
Arizona Republic
https://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/ ... 148231007/

“Just being a presence on both ends of the floor. Me rolling to the basket, I know that brings so much attention to the rim and so many guys load up on me when I’m rolling to the basket or anywhere around the basket,'' he said. "It gives those guys spaces like KD (Kevin Durant), Chris (Paul) and Book (Devin Booker), they do the rest. Just give them the space and they got it. Just being patient, playing circle ball.”

[...]

“He was just talking about his ability is have to be patient so that he knows what they’re doing and he can react and that is a great value for us,” Williams said.

“He could be frustrated, but he wasn’t. He understands his impact on winning and I just think it’s phenomenal that he’s of that mindset and understands that there’s going to be games where he scores and there’s going to be games where he’s doing what he did in the last two games, where he’s creating a lot of opportunities with space underneath the basket for other people.”

[...]

“Whatever they write about a guy not scoring an X amount, but the pressure that he’s putting on the rim and forcing guys to guard him around the basket is creating so many opportunities for Book and Kevin,” Williams said.

There's a whole dang article on it now--what you guys told me doesn't exist. I guess Monty doesn't have a clue what he's talking about either?

Lol the minute I saw this on AZcentral I knew you were slobbering all over it. The difference between you and the rest of us… we don’t have to go out and TRY to find something to defend ayton; we all have the brains and common sense to know he isn’t all that.

[TOO]

Now we know what Jeremy is gifting his entire family for Christmas this year.

Dominothanks. Even his logo is lazy and uninspired.

[Kryptonic]

Now we know what Jeremy is gifting his entire family for Christmas this year.

Dominothanks. Even his logo is lazy and uninspired.

Not surprised lol

[Mori Chu]

The DA Store announces that if you order from them, they'll charge you the maximum price for the product, they'll only actually deliver it 1/2 the time, and they'll automatically submit a review of themselves of 5 stars.

[TOO]

Logo should be Mason Plumlee just sitting on his DAs head.

[Superbone]

You guys are mean.

[Superbone]

For the record, Ayton is starting to give us what we need in the playoffs. I was happy with his play in game 5 for the most part.

[Split T]

I think he’s doing well offensively... Giving us what we need. I’m still hoping for more defensively. Maybe I’m remembering wrong, but just feel like he used to be harder to score on. His ability on the boards has always come and gone with his motor, but feel like he used to be a bigger deterrent at the rim. I feel like nobody ever scored on him 1 on 1, but Zubac did pretty well hitting his little hooks on DA. Just feels like he didn’t offer a lot of deterrence on Powell and Westbrook drives. If they got past their man on the perimeter it was almost always a layup.

[SunsRIt]

I feel like he’s too afraid of fouling. You never know what they are going to call. One trip down the floor it’s a foul, the next trip it isn’t. There is just no consistency.

[Mori Chu]

I think he’s doing well offensively... Giving us what we need. I’m still hoping for more defensively. Maybe I’m remembering wrong, but just feel like he used to be harder to score on. His ability on the boards has always come and gone with his motor, but feel like he used to be a bigger deterrent at the rim. I feel like nobody ever scored on him 1 on 1, but Zubac did pretty well hitting his little hooks on DA. Just feels like he didn’t offer a lot of deterrence on Powell and Westbrook drives. If they got past their man on the perimeter it was almost always a layup.

Zubac is a tough cover for Ayton. He has trouble with super tall, big, long-armed centers. Examples are Zubac and Valanciunas.