A little perspective on DeAndre Ayton

[BC867]

Interesting article here: https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/...-his-game-as-his-rookie-season-moves-forward/

I don't like how defensive he is about his defense. Not sure if he just doesn't see it or if he is just really insecure about it.
Loved the last paragraph though!

"I'm tired of hearing that," Ayton tells me. "I went through that in college, and I'm going through it in the NBA. I don't know what you guys want from me. I'm 7'1" and I'm guarding point guards.

I don't understand how much I have to show. I'm guarding the perimeter, running after guards across screens, pin downs, running through dribble-hand-offs and pick-and-roll ball screens – as a seven-foot player! In the NBA I have to protect the rim. I love defense. I'm not struggling on defense. I love to make my opponent look bad."

There you have it folks. A Center playing Power Forward in his one year at the University of Arizona and guarding the perimeter in his first year with the Phoenix Suns.

'Must be something in the Arizona coaching fraternity. Don't use your players to their best advantage.

 

[Russ Smith]

There you have it folks. A Center playing Power Forward in his one year at the University of Arizona and guarding the perimeter in his first year with the Phoenix Suns.

'Must be something in the Arizona coaching fraternity. Don't use your players to their best advantage.

In college it was because Miller insisted on playing 2 bigs because he thought it was his best lineup. In the NBA I think it's largely because teams want to get Ayton to switch so they can attack him. He does move his feet laterally well but I think he's deluding himself if he thinks he's a rim protector at this stage. There are times he looks like he's getting it and times he doesn't which makes sense at his age with him still being relatively new to the sport.

The big question on him has and always has been his motor, is he going to play hard enough and is he going to be aggressive enough. It's why when I see him bragging about his shooting like that I wonder, what you really want to see from him on offense IMO is to become more aggressive around the rim. he's a beast very few guys can stop him if he puts his mind to it, they need him to attack the rim and force the other team to stop him or foul him.

 

[95pro]

Interesting article here: https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/...-his-game-as-his-rookie-season-moves-forward/

I don't like how defensive he is about his defense. Not sure if he just doesn't see it or if he is just really insecure about it.
Loved the last paragraph though!

Wow KG mentality?

 

[Yuma]

I look more of Igor allows, or wants Ayton to run out to the three point line, or switch out on guards. That removes him from the post area where he can block or alter shots. Unless this is addressed as a scheme, and they keep him one on one with the opoosing center, or switch to whoever goes to the basket, instead of out to the three point line, he's always going to struggle to be the Sheriff down low that we need.

 

[95pro]

Can't we ever go zone every now and then?

 

[Ronin]

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[Ronin]

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[Ronin]

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[Mainstreet]

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More emotion from Ayton like this please.

 

[Ronin]

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[Mainstreet]

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Reading the remarks below the tweet fans still want more... now.

To put a 60 TS% in perspective.

https://www.basketball-reference.com/leaders/ts_pct_career.html

 

[sunsfan88]

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[SirStefan32]

See, I think the post play is "dead" because there hasn't been a great post-up player around in a while. Those who could play in the post couldn't really do much else (Monroe, Jefferson, etc). I would argue that the post play can be brought back to life. Screw the rest of the league, tech the kid how to get good position in the post and teach the rest of the team to get him the ball. You play to your strengths, the rest of the league be damned.

 

[Covert Rain]

See, I think the post play is "dead" because there hasn't been a great post-up player around in a while. Those who could play in the post couldn't really do much else (Monroe, Jefferson, etc). I would argue that the post play can be brought back to life. Screw the rest of the league, tech the kid how to get good position in the post and teach the rest of the team to get him the ball. You play to your strengths, the rest of the league be damned.

If there was another Shaq, Duncan, Robinson, Olajuwon, Ewing etc. all in the league in THIS era?

No question even with Curry there is plenty of post up play. I would put money that some of those teams eat Golden State alive.

 

[Phrazbit]

If there was another Shaq, Duncan, Robinson, Olajuwon, Ewing etc. all in the league in THIS era?

No question even with Curry there is plenty of post up play. I would put money that some of those teams eat Golden State alive.

Those guys would still be good but their value would be greatly diminished. If Shaq, in his prime, was in the league today teams would play a zone defense designed to cut off passes to the paint, when Shaq played those (zone) defenses were illegal.

If they NBA wants to return to something like it was in the mid 2000s then they need to make zone defending illegal again and crack down on moving screens like they've cracked down on off ball defenders being physical.

I like the hand checking rule changes, defenders were shoving ball handlers and directing their movement, it had stagnated the game and turned it into the iso trash of the late 90s and early 2000s, but they went to far with nothing to balance it the other way. I don't know how anyone can defend at a high level anymore when even contesting shots is often called a foul and to get in position to contest you probably have to fight through a screener that is playing more like a left tackle in the NFL than an NBA player.

 

[Covert Rain]

Those guys would still be good but their value would be greatly diminished. If Shaq, in his prime, was in the league today teams would play a zone defense designed to cut off passes to the paint, when Shaq played those (zone) defenses were illegal.

If they NBA wants to return to something like it was in the mid 2000s then they need to make zone defending illegal again and crack down on moving screens like they've cracked down on off ball defenders being physical.

I like the hand checking rule changes, defenders were shoving ball handlers and directing their movement, it had stagnated the game and turned it into the iso trash of the late 90s and early 2000s, but they went to far with nothing to balance it the other way. I don't know how anyone can defend at a high level anymore when even contesting shots is often called a foul and to get in position to contest you probably have to fight through a screener that is playing more like a left tackle in the NFL than an NBA player.

We will have to disagree. All of these guys played zone in college. 1-3-1 is used now in the NBA to break it down. These guys without hand checking couldn’t keep those guys off the block. As long as you had competent 3 point shooting you couldn’t let guys roam the perimeter. Not to mention most teams are Uber soft upfront with the changes in the types of players coming into the league. The paint would be dominated by these guys. Especially since in zone defense the weakest place is at the free throw line. Most of these guys could shoot midrange too.

 

[Yuma]

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Can we get Griner to work with Ayton?

 

[1Sun]

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Can we get Griner to work with Ayton?

Please no. She is as soft as they come.

 

[Yuma]

Please no. She is as soft as they come.

Yeah, but she blocks more shots!

 

[Yuma]

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[Hoop Head]

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Ok, so who knows how we can get ahold of Embiid so we can tell him to start making fun of Ayton's accent? Maybe that'll light the fire under him for next season.



He must have had a much thicker accent growing up because I don't detect much of an accent at all in him now. You can kind of hear some small traces of an accent on some words but it's not very often. Even detecting that little bit it's hard to pick up on what sort of accent he would have. I know he's from the Bahamas but I just don't hear it.

 

[Phrazbit]

Ok, so who knows how we can get ahold of Embiid so we can tell him to start making fun of Ayton's accent? Maybe that'll light the fire under him for next season.



He must have had a much thicker accent growing up because I don't detect much of an accent at all in him now. You can kind of hear some small traces of an accent on some words but it's not very often. Even detecting that little bit it's hard to pick up on what sort of accent he would have. I know he's from the Bahamas but I just don't hear it.

My dad was born in rural Kentucky, they moved when he was young and now his accent only comes out when he visits.

Also there are certain words, for example, Monday = “Mundee”.

 

[Yuma]

https://arizonasports.com/story/2020592/deandre-ayton-efficiency-expanded-role-suns-phoenix/

The videos in this article, and the way Ayton moves in them, especially on the turn around jumpers, reminds me of Olajawon's baseline jumpers.

 

[Mainstreet]

It's time to look at Deandre Ayton after his second season.

His first seasons stats per game were as follows:


16.3 PPG

10.3 TRB

1.8 AST

.9 BLK

1.8 TOV

His second season stats per game are as follows:

18.2 PPG

11.5 TRB

1.9 AST

1.5 BLK

2.1 TOV


https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/a/aytonde01.html

 

[BC867]

Again I have to react to "stats". Losing teams brag about individual
stats. Winning teams brag about winning percent and team standings.

There is so much more to a player than stats. Especially on a team
that finally has hopes for successful seasons following a decade of
failure in the standings.

And especially for our only #1 draft pick and a Center at that.

Add to that, Ayton's stupidity in the 25-game suspension and,
recently, missing part of an important game because he forgot
about, or chose to not be tested for, COVID-19 in the bubble.

Apply his raw numbers and factor in the zero's in his 25 missed
games and there are his true stats. Availability is a responsibility.

We lost entry into the playoffs, based upon one shot by another
team. Imagine if we had our starting Center for those 25 games.

A soft Ayton, who hardly ever gets to the free throw line and
finger rolls, rather than makes a statement by power dunks or
drawing fouls, is not fulfilling why he was our #1 draft pick. The
only times he dunks is on an alley-oop pass, not on this own.

As a Suns fan, the stats I care most about are our winning
percents and place in the standings. Over any individuals stats.

Much, much more than whether our 6'11" Center pulls down
ten rebounds a game or how many 3-point shots he can make
while stationed 20+ feet from the low post like a Wing.

Or his improvement in scoring -- 1.9, or rebounds -- 1.2.
His one extra bucket and rebound per game -- one extra
bucket and rebound, when he was available to play -- did
not get us into the playoffs. That's what it's about!