Deandre Ayton news and highlights

[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.

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

JJ said in an interview he loved the idea. I imagine Ayton liked it too, but then again, they probably don't put a lot of thought into and just like the idea of having a bobblehead.

[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

JJ said in an interview he loved the idea. I imagine Ayton liked it too, but then again, they probably don't put a lot of thought into and just like the idea of having a bobblehead.

Outside of a bobblehead of me getting pounded from behind, I'm probably pretty happy with any bobblehead of me

[lilfishi22]

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.

I didn't really put too much stock in that graphic comparing the two. Ayton plays significantly more minutes and against starting big man while Robinson plays less than 18mpg and has only started 12 games this season. Maybe coaches in the past has coached him to prioritise staying out of foul trouble (via not challenging shots) in order to stay on the floor and in theory it's a good principal to go by but by him not challenging shots early, he doesn't get to unlearn those past habits. He needs to attack the rim more often on offense and he needs to challenge more shots on D, even if he gets into more foul trouble. While we're sucking, now is the time to play aggressive D and work out how staying out of foul trouble over time. The time to learn how to play strong, aggressive D is now, not when we (hopefully) start to become good when him being on the floor actually matters.

[WeekapaugGroove]

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.

I didn't really put too much stock in that graphic comparing the two. Ayton plays significantly more minutes and against starting big man while Robinson plays less than 18mpg and has only started 12 games this season. Maybe coaches in the past has coached him to prioritise staying out of foul trouble (via not challenging shots) in order to stay on the floor and in theory it's a good principal to go by but by him not challenging shots early, he doesn't get to unlearn those past habits. He needs to attack the rim more often on offense and he needs to challenge more shots on D, even if he gets into more foul trouble. While we're sucking, now is the time to play aggressive D and work out how staying out of foul trouble over time. The time to learn how to play strong, aggressive D is now, not when we (hopefully) start to become good when him being on the floor actually matters.

Totally agree he needs to be more aggressive on both ends. He's a good FT shooting big so might as well capitalize on that and try to get to the line more. I think one of the main things he should work on this summer is developing a little dribble drive game. That way he can incorporate a little pump fake and drive action from the mid range and he's a good enough mid range shooter to make guys come up and challenge that shot. That would be a nice addition to his game.

[lilfishi22]

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.

I didn't really put too much stock in that graphic comparing the two. Ayton plays significantly more minutes and against starting big man while Robinson plays less than 18mpg and has only started 12 games this season. Maybe coaches in the past has coached him to prioritise staying out of foul trouble (via not challenging shots) in order to stay on the floor and in theory it's a good principal to go by but by him not challenging shots early, he doesn't get to unlearn those past habits. He needs to attack the rim more often on offense and he needs to challenge more shots on D, even if he gets into more foul trouble. While we're sucking, now is the time to play aggressive D and work out how staying out of foul trouble over time. The time to learn how to play strong, aggressive D is now, not when we (hopefully) start to become good when him being on the floor actually matters.

Totally agree he needs to be more aggressive on both ends. He's a good FT shooting big so might as well capitalize on that and try to get to the line more. I think one of the main things he should work on this summer is developing a little dribble drive game. That way he can incorporate a little pump fake and drive action from the mid range and he's a good enough mid range shooter to make guys come up and challenge that shot. That would be a nice addition to his game.

Yeah I've mentioned this pre-draft and during the season but his lack of dribble game really limits is scoring opportunities essentially to where he receives the ball. If it's just outside the paint where it's too close for a face up jumper but not close enough for a jump hook, he's really not that good at getting a better opportunity. Similarly, when he's outside the paint and in that midrange shooting area, he doesn't have the ability to pump fake and take it to the rim for a more high % shot. He either shoots that midrange shot (which is quite good) or he passes it back out. Having that ability to put the ball on the floor would give him more avenues to not only score but to create scrambles defensively which will either get the defense into foul trouble, open up the lane for an and1 opportunity or even the pass out to the weak side he created.

In the same way the 3PT shot has opened up TJ's game (career high TS%), Ayton getting even a basic dribble drive game will open up his scoring opportunities and create a new avenue to challenge offensive aggression.

[handsome salary]

Blah , blah , blah....loss
blah , blah , blah, blah....loss
BLAH, BLAH, BLAH, BLAH....15 STRAIGHT LOSS

Fixed

[King4Day]

Watching how good players play with Ayton tonight will be huge in terms of knowing whether a good PG can fix some of the mess we're seeing.
If we see some pick and rolls and better looks from Ayton, then there's some hope (and proof that our currently built team absolutely stinks)

[darmani]

Watching how good players play with Ayton tonight will be huge in terms of knowing whether a good PG can fix some of the mess we're seeing.
If we see some pick and rolls and better looks from Ayton, then there's some hope (and proof that our currently built team absolutely stinks)

Have you ever watched a rookie-sophomore game?

[King4Day]

Watching how good players play with Ayton tonight will be huge in terms of knowing whether a good PG can fix some of the mess we're seeing.
If we see some pick and rolls and better looks from Ayton, then there's some hope (and proof that our currently built team absolutely stinks)

Have you ever watched a rookie-sophomore game?

Admittedly, no. But He will play with Doncic. That's all I need to know.

[Archx]

Watching how good players play with Ayton tonight will be huge in terms of knowing whether a good PG can fix some of the mess we're seeing.
If we see some pick and rolls and better looks from Ayton, then there's some hope (and proof that our currently built team absolutely stinks)

Have you ever watched a rookie-sophomore game?

Admittedly, no. But He will play with Doncic. That's all I need to know.

If you watch those videos from Charlotte, you can see how good friends have these two become. They are always smiling and joking around. It will be a joy to watch them together on the court. Just like you, i hope for some great PnR action. Wish they would be teammates tbh

[DroughtsOverPHX]

Watching how good players play with Ayton tonight will be huge in terms of knowing whether a good PG can fix some of the mess we're seeing.
If we see some pick and rolls and better looks from Ayton, then there's some hope (and proof that our currently built team absolutely stinks)

It was a school yard slamfest featuring no defense, random half court shots and literally a slam dunk contest in the last minute. That being said it did give a picture of what Ayton could be like on a fast break team and that was interesting. He had some fun in a sucky season and got to hang with good players. Good for him. 15/8/5 in 22 minutes but worst on the team with a -22.

[darealjuice]

Lol at even paying attention to +/- in a freaking Rising Stars game.

Hopefully people watched Ayton hoisting up line drive 3s last night so they can stop constantly talking about how Igor’s holding back that part of his game. He doesn’t have that range yet.

[King4Day]

Ayton made a couple of appearances at a Charlotte mall today. A friend told me about it last night so I got up early to beat the traffic. He had a Macy's appearance and followed that up with a Dick's sporting goods in the same mall. I go to meet him twice in like a 3 hour span. Very friendly. I could have gone around the city to meet other NBA stars but I really only cared to meet him (Booker wasn't doing anything that I heard of). Was a cool experience.

[sunskerr]

Lol at even paying attention to +/- in a freaking Rising Stars game.

Hopefully people watched Ayton hoisting up line drive 3s last night so they can stop constantly talking about how Igor’s holding back that part of his game. He doesn’t have that range yet.

I haven’t seen many posts advocating Ayton to take 3s right now. There are however many posts saying he needs to add a 3 ball to his game.

That being said, pre draft, the Ayton crowd was saying he could shoot 3s better than Doncic.

[bwgood77]

Lol at even paying attention to +/- in a freaking Rising Stars game.

Hopefully people watched Ayton hoisting up line drive 3s last night so they can stop constantly talking about how Igor’s holding back that part of his game. He doesn’t have that range yet.

I haven’t seen many posts advocating Ayton to take 3s right now. There are however many posts saying he needs to add a 3 ball to his game.

That being said, pre draft, the Ayton crowd was saying he could shoot 3s better than Doncic.

Yeah, I see a few people on twitter saying he should shoot 3s now, but like you, I think it would be nice to see add to his game and hope he can by some time next year, as it will really help the team as a whole and make him much more valuable, but he's got to be able to hit them at a good %. You don't want a C shooting them unless they can hit at near 40%.

[sunsbg]

Lol at even paying attention to +/- in a freaking Rising Stars game.

Hopefully people watched Ayton hoisting up line drive 3s last night so they can stop constantly talking about how Igor’s holding back that part of his game. He doesn’t have that range yet.

I haven’t seen many posts advocating Ayton to take 3s right now. There are however many posts saying he needs to add a 3 ball to his game.

That being said, pre draft, the Ayton crowd was saying he could shoot 3s better than Doncic.

Yeah, I see a few people on twitter saying he should shoot 3s now, but like you, I think it would be nice to see add to his game and hope he can by some time next year, as it will really help the team as a whole and make him much more valuable, but he's got to be able to hit them at a good %. You don't want a C shooting them unless they can hit at near 40%.

40% ? Jokic and Embiid are at 30%.

[WeekapaugGroove]

Hitting them in the low to mid 30's would be fine. It's all about getting to a point where defenders have to stay honest and guard him out there. That's what opens up the space in the lane for his teammates.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using RealGM mobile app

[sunsbg]

Hitting them in the low to mid 30's would be fine. It's all about getting to a point where defenders have to stay honest and guard him out there. That's what opens up the space in the lane for his teammates.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using RealGM mobile app

Even at 35% compared to 60% for 2, you are losing 1.5 points, but probably coaches are dumb enough and will not let him just shoot the 3.

Then you lose on offensive boards, already pointed out for Warren, same will happen with Deandre.

Then wing players lose a target in the post on their drives.

And it's not like Ayton is not setting picks around the 3 point line like half of the time. If his defender is not guarding the pick then the wing can just shoot the 3 instead of your C. I didn't see many centers in the 3pt contest last night.

Good ball-movement and set plays are much more important than moving a C, who can already hit a long 2 behind the 3pt line.

[WeekapaugGroove]

Hitting them in the low to mid 30's would be fine. It's all about getting to a point where defenders have to stay honest and guard him out there. That's what opens up the space in the lane for his teammates.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using RealGM mobile app

Even at 35% compared to 60% for 2, you are losing 1.5 points, but probably coaches are dumb enough and will not let him just shoot the 3.

Then you lose on offensive boards, already pointed out for Warren, same will happen with Deandre.

Then wing players lose a target in the post on their drives.

And it's not like Ayton is not setting picks around the 3 point line like half of the time. If his defender is not guarding the pick then the wing can just shoot the 3 instead of your C. I didn't see many centers in the 3pt contest last night.

Good ball-movement and set plays are much more important than moving a C, who can already hit a long 2 behind the 3pt line.

I'm not implying that he should become Brook Lopez and bomb 8 a game. Variety is a trait of good offenses, being able to run some clear outs where his man doesn't sag into the paint adds another thing you can do to an opponent.

Plus the further out his guy has to guard him it opens up bigger passing lanes for cutters. Right now when he catches at the arc his defender sags to the foul line clogging things up.

Oh and he's not hitting long 2s at a 60% clip so a 3 at 35% is a better shot.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using RealGM mobile app

[sunsbg]

Hitting them in the low to mid 30's would be fine. It's all about getting to a point where defenders have to stay honest and guard him out there. That's what opens up the space in the lane for his teammates.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using RealGM mobile app

Even at 35% compared to 60% for 2, you are losing 1.5 points, but probably coaches are dumb enough and will not let him just shoot the 3.

Then you lose on offensive boards, already pointed out for Warren, same will happen with Deandre.

Then wing players lose a target in the post on their drives.

And it's not like Ayton is not setting picks around the 3 point line like half of the time. If his defender is not guarding the pick then the wing can just shoot the 3 instead of your C. I didn't see many centers in the 3pt contest last night.

Good ball-movement and set plays are much more important than moving a C, who can already hit a long 2 behind the 3pt line.

I'm not implying that he should become Brook Lopez and bomb 8 a game. Variety is a trait of good offenses, being able to run some clear outs where his man doesn't sag into the paint adds another thing you can do to an opponent.

Oh and he's not hitting long 2s at a 60% clip so a 3 at 35% is a better shot.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using RealGM mobile app

Nowhere did I say he's hitting long 2s at 60%.

Just saying, him shooting 1-2 threes at 30-35% will not change anything. Good ball-movement/coaching will.