Deandre Ayton news and highlights

[lilfishi22]

I don't think anyone ever questioned his perimeter defense which is quite good for a guy his size. It's his missed/late rotation, ball watching and effort levels which leaves a lot on the table in terms of being a great defensive player

[enigmatics]

I'm in the middle of asking Phoenix Suns rookie center DeAndre Ayton about what some scouts consider the biggest weakness of the 20-year-old Bahamian's game – his defense – when he cuts me off.

"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."

He pauses for emphasis: "I love defense."

"They don't have nothing bad to say about my game, so they pick and choose," Ayton said, talking about those who criticize him on defense.

"People can't find what my weakness is, so I think they just pick that. I am the (defensive) anchor on the team. I know everybody's spots, where everyone's going to be going. I talk all the time."

https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/suns-deandre-ayton-focused-on-perfecting-his-body-and-expanding-his-game-as-his-rookie-season-moves-forward/amp/?__twitter_impression=true

This article is why so far this year I've hated Koko's approach on both ends.

[TheLogician]

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The part about guys not getting what they want is a little confusing because frankly there isn't a single guy on this team who isn't getting the shots or PT they deserve. In fact several are getting fair more than they deserve or would get nearly anywhere else.

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It almost sounds like he is talking about someone specifically. If so, I wonder who it would be?

We've seen all of them get frustrated but my money would be on Booker.

[SwingMan1938]

Please.

You ought to be working the nearest orchard with cherry picking like that.

[Frank Lee]

I'm in the middle of asking Phoenix Suns rookie center DeAndre Ayton about what some scouts consider the biggest weakness of the 20-year-old Bahamian's game – his defense – when he cuts me off.

"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."

He pauses for emphasis: "I love defense."

"They don't have nothing bad to say about my game, so they pick and choose," Ayton said, talking about those who criticize him on defense.

"People can't find what my weakness is, so I think they just pick that. I am the (defensive) anchor on the team. I know everybody's spots, where everyone's going to be going. I talk all the time."

https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/suns-deandre-ayton-focused-on-perfecting-his-body-and-expanding-his-game-as-his-rookie-season-moves-forward/amp/?__twitter_impression=true

This article is why so far this year I've hated Koko's approach on both ends.

This kid is full of himself..... Does he even watch game films ? Who is filling his head with this ****....

[handsome salary]

Blah , blah , blah....loss
blah , blah , blah, blah....loss
BLAH, BLAH, BLAH, BLAH....14 STRAIGHT LOSS

[HiddenLeaf 44]

I don't think anyone ever questioned his perimeter defense which is quite good for a guy his size. It's his missed/late rotation, ball watching and effort levels which leaves a lot on the table in terms of being a great defensive player

And perimeter defense for bigs may become more valuable then shot blocking with the way teams are playing now

[bwgood77]

Read on Twitter

[Frank Lee]

gawd, this ‘on-line polling ’ is annoying
It’s a narcissistic outlet for the Me Me’s
Who gives an F ??? Waste of time especially for popularity contests like above


Yours truly
Grumpy old man

[Frank Lee]

Furthermore, the more I hear directly from Ayton, the less I want to hear from him. Granted, my first impression was not good... his flashing his gold watch to the cameras on draft day... followed by his 'cant wait for the second contract' comment... then his passive play... confusion and low BBIQ... now this veiled declaration of leadership ? Just play ball ya fool.

its easy to be critical of this youngster. But when he says he loves defense and is the anchor and knows where everyone is ?? people cant find anything wrong with his game so they are nitpicking. ??? He should just STFU and get his head out of his ever evolving 'DHoward-like-ass'. He's a long way from alpha dog status. In fact, its somewhat fitting he has championed fake tough guy Garnett as his role model. I do not think its a stretch to think there are a few team mates that think he is full of ****.

[bwgood77]

I like Ayton, but another thing that strikes me as odd, especially if you want to show these guys are focused on basketball, is giving Ayton a bobblehead in his suit on draft night, and Jackson playing video games.

I mean when we are wanting these guys to work on their games, why are they showing them in these circumstances? I mean I know our biggest crowd in probably years in the arena was draft night and selecting Ayton, but I don't know that it means as much now.

[ImNotMcDiSwear]

Furthermore, the more I hear directly from Ayton, the less I want to hear from him. Granted, my first impression was not good... his flashing his gold watch to the cameras on draft day... followed by his 'cant wait for the second contract' comment... then his passive play... confusion and low BBIQ... now this veiled declaration of leadership ? Just play ball ya fool.

its easy to be critical of this youngster. But when he says he loves defense and is the anchor and knows where everyone is ?? people cant find anything wrong with his game so they are nitpicking. ??? He should just STFU and get his head out of his ever evolving 'Howard-like-ass'. He's a long way from alpha dog status. In fact, its somewhat fitting he has championed fake tough guy Garnett as his role model. I do not think its a stretch to think there are a few team mates that think he is full of ****.

I think Ayton demonstrates leadership, but inconsistently. When things start going downhill, his energy level suffers. When we're rolling, he may make mistakes, but he shows greater energy and is always one of our best players. I love that he's saying the right things, even if the follow-through is inconsistent. Young players go through that. I trust he'll get better as he continues to improve his strength and conditioning.

.... But I also think that if Devin doesn't return to that team-oriented style of play he demonstrated while Ayton was out, Ayton will continue to be inconsistent and so will the team.

[WeekapaugGroove]

gawd, this ‘on-line polling ’ is annoying
It’s a narcissistic outlet for the Me Me’s
Who gives an F ??? Waste of time especially for popularity contests like above


Yours truly
Grumpy old man

Ha yeah man you can definitely tell we're in that sports window where football is over and spring training and march madness hasn't started yet so the sports talk peeps are just searching for ANYTHING to talk about and fill time.

[Revived]

Another part of this article..he explains where he is getting his alpha dog mentality:

He's studying the greats, modeling his footwork after Hakeem Olajuwon and modeling his alpha-dog mentality after Kevin Garnett.

Spoiler:

Read on Twitter

What alpha dog mentality does he have exactly?

[Revived]

Robinson is an interesting prospect but he's also one of those guys that you just can't take his numbers in short minutes and expand them out to starter minutes and assume the same production. He fouls at an absolutely insane rate. He fouled out in 16 minutes of play one game this year.

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All defensive Cs have fouling problems when they enter the league before they figure it out. Rudy Gobert for example was a fouling machine his rookie season. Same with Steven Adams iirc.

At least shows that they are trying on the defensive end.

[ImNotMcDiSwear]

Robinson is an interesting prospect but he's also one of those guys that you just can't take his numbers in short minutes and expand them out to starter minutes and assume the same production. He fouls at an absolutely insane rate. He fouled out in 16 minutes of play one game this year.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using RealGM mobile app

All defensive Cs have fouling problems when they enter the league before they figure it out. Rudy Gobert for example was a fouling machine his rookie season. Same with Steven Adams iirc.

At least shows that they are trying on the defensive end.

Ayton has shown the ability to stay on the court by avoiding foul trouble - a problem Alex Len really suffered with his first couple years especially. A HUGE positive for a guy with his offensive potential. I think Deandre will learn to turn up the defense as games progress after he's avoided early foul trouble - something a lot of great bigs have learned to do.

[lilfishi22]

I don't think anyone ever questioned his perimeter defense which is quite good for a guy his size. It's his missed/late rotation, ball watching and effort levels which leaves a lot on the table in terms of being a great defensive player

And perimeter defense for bigs may become more valuable then shot blocking with the way teams are playing now

It's critical in today's NBA to not be a liability when being switched out onto a guard. Ayton is already solid in that respect which gives him a head start. But at the same time, rim protection (not just specifically shot blocking) is still a considerable factor in team D and I honestly don't think it's changing just because teams are shooting more 3's. I say this because shot charts are looks more like two islands with more shots taken from the 3 but teams are also prioritizing shots at the rim because they are high %. Ayton still needs to be a good rim protector in order for us to be a seriously competitive team.

[lilfishi22]

I like Ayton, but another thing that strikes me as odd, especially if you want to show these guys are focused on basketball, is giving Ayton a bobblehead in his suit on draft night, and Jackson playing video games.

I mean when we are wanting these guys to work on their games, why are they showing them in these circumstances? I mean I know our biggest crowd in probably years in the arena was draft night and selecting Ayton, but I don't know that it means as much now.

That's probably more on the sucky marketing/merch team than Ayton/JJ. But if I was Ayton or JJ, I'd probably say something to them

[lilfishi22]

Robinson is an interesting prospect but he's also one of those guys that you just can't take his numbers in short minutes and expand them out to starter minutes and assume the same production. He fouls at an absolutely insane rate. He fouled out in 16 minutes of play one game this year.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using RealGM mobile app

All defensive Cs have fouling problems when they enter the league before they figure it out. Rudy Gobert for example was a fouling machine his rookie season. Same with Steven Adams iirc.

At least shows that they are trying on the defensive end.

Ayton has shown the ability to stay on the court by avoiding foul trouble - a problem Alex Len really suffered with his first couple years especially. A HUGE positive for a guy with his offensive potential. I think Deandre will learn to turn up the defense as games progress after he's avoided early foul trouble - something a lot of great bigs have learned to do.

It usually doesn't happen this way. Revived is right, good defensive bigs usually start with the high intensity, aggressive D that gets them into foul trouble early and then figure out what they can and can't do from a rule standpoint over time while still playing their high level D. It's pretty rare for players to take the "Ayton approach" of not being aggressive on D to stay out of foul trouble and turn it on while still staying out of foul trouble. Of course you get outliers where they are able to play elite D very early in their careers while staying out of foul trouble; Dwight and AD are two examples.

I honestly think this - he's not aggressive because he's trying to avoid being in foul trouble - is a false narrative. He's not aggressive because he's just not aggressive and as a result he's not getting in foul trouble often. His lack of aggressiveness is improving but it's prevalent on both ends of the court. I've said this since early in the season, I'd rather see him be more aggressive on both ends of the court and get into foul trouble more often and then dial it back than doing it the other way.

[WeekapaugGroove]

All defensive Cs have fouling problems when they enter the league before they figure it out. Rudy Gobert for example was a fouling machine his rookie season. Same with Steven Adams iirc.

At least shows that they are trying on the defensive end.

Ayton has shown the ability to stay on the court by avoiding foul trouble - a problem Alex Len really suffered with his first couple years especially. A HUGE positive for a guy with his offensive potential. I think Deandre will learn to turn up the defense as games progress after he's avoided early foul trouble - something a lot of great bigs have learned to do.

It usually doesn't happen this way. Revived is right, good defensive bigs usually start with the high intensity, aggressive D that gets them into foul trouble early and then figure out what they can and can't do from a rule standpoint over time while still playing their high level D. It's pretty rare for players to take the "Ayton approach" of not being aggressive on D to stay out of foul trouble and turn it on while still staying out of foul trouble. Of course you get outliers where they are able to play elite D very early in their careers while staying out of foul trouble; Dwight and AD are two examples.

I honestly think this - he's not aggressive because he's trying to avoid being in foul trouble - is a false narrative. He's not aggressive because he's just not aggressive and as a result he's not getting in foul trouble often. His lack of aggressiveness is improving but it's prevalent on both ends of the court. I've said this since early in the season, I'd rather see him be more aggressive on both ends of the court and get into foul trouble more often and then dial it back than doing it the other way.

Oh yeah you and Rivived are right foul trouble for young bigs is super common and really not a big deal at all. I was just pointing out that Robinson is the perfect example of why you can't judge him too much on per 36 type stats because at this point in his career he just can't play a ton of minutes because he's a fouling machine. But most guys get better, heck even Len figured it out some. And really if a guy is a backup C fouls don't really matter at all because you don't need them to play big mintues.

With Ayton's lack of fouling I've said it before I really think some coach at a lower level instructed him not to foul because they needed him to stay in games and it's kind of a habit. Only logical excuse I can think of for the times he simply refuses to contest a shot right in front of him. He needs to stop doing that.