sunsbg wrote:bwgood77 wrote:Some strange takes here, and of course you all know I will defend Ayton if I feel he is overly picked on for 23 year old, but some of these posters are....well, decide for yourself. I had a number of responses on page 6.
And people may think I am the biggest Ayton fan, but I know there are far bigger fans within the fanbase and in here but they just don't post much with all the negativity surrounding him (though I know that has decreased given his play outside of maybe rebounding).
He's no better than possibly my 3rd favorite Sun.
Anyway, here's the thread if you'd like to read or chime in...
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=2188053
You became a fan once he improved on defense. I was a fan from the start, arguing with Luka fanboys even before the draft and having some heated debates especially with the Slovenians(cheers if you are lurking and reading this, Bob8). Of course DA has other great fans here, but also 3toheadmelo, who's a big fan from the start and probably sees his favorite Pat Ewing in DA. Still some DA haters like in this GB thread, but most neutral fans recognize the value of Ayton for Suns success. I have seen DA being Nr1 FA option for Mavs and he would indeed fit perfectly with Luka, but they have no chance of acquiring him.
I was waiting for a Suns-Mavs series all this time, but of course had to plan my vacation to coincide with the start of the series.
Yeah, his first season for sure I got blasted for pointing out all his weaknesses, particularly from a couple of posters who got really worked up. But I was pleasanty surprised at the strides he made on defense in year 2. Somewhat shocked, and it's only gotten better from there.
On offense and defense there is little more I could ask for from a 23 year old based on his skill set coming in. Obviously he's not perfect, but his efficiency from mid range is phenomenal, and from 3-10 ft even better than Paul at over 60%. Paul is at 56.7% from that range. Paul is a little better from 10-16 ft at 59.5% (which is crazy from that range) and Ayton is still at 56.3% from 10-16 ft, which is pretty insane for a big. And I think he's been even better than those #s from the playoffs since he is at 70% and it seems like most all his shots are in the mid range.
Booker's always though of as great from the midrange, but he is 46.7% from 3-10 ft and 47.8 from 10-16 ft. Still solid #s, but not like Ayton and Paul.
