Deandre Ayton: Silent but deadly

Some players are loud on the court. Flashy. They play with a certain pizazz. So far Deandre Ayton hasn’t exhibited any of those traits, and yet he has looked really, really good for the Summer League Phoenix Suns.

You would expect the first overall pick in the NBA Draft to do well during the Summer League. It is fair to expect such a player to dominate and control some aspect of the game, that which comes most naturally to him, whichever skill-set that garnered him the first overall selection.

You could say that Deandre Ayton has done that thus far for the Phoenix Suns’ Summer League team in Las Vegas, only he hasn’t looked tremendously flashy nor have his games been all that visually impressive. Instead, he has gone about his business, quietly rumbling down to both ends of the floor, letting the game come to him – as he has admitted – and put up stats that should make every Phoenix Suns fan giddy.

Granted, this is the Summer League. Sure, he is playing against “NBA” talent, but barely.

Even so, he has looked really good against lesser talent, exactly what fans should expect, taken what appears to be an appropriate step forward toward the preseason coming in less than three months, and regular season games that will be here before you know it.

While compared to Shaquille O’Neal in the pre-draft process, Ayton does not appear to play the game the way Shaq once did in his early days: boisterous, thundering, and overall, the absolute center of attention. In fact, if I were to tell you that Ayton’s first three Summer League games were all “quiet,” and you had no idea what his stats were, you might actually be a bit worried that he has been playing poorly; possibly looking out of his element; or maybe overmatched all-together.

But that’s not the truth.

The truth is, while he “only” finished with 10 points and 8 rebounds in his Summer League opener, Deandre Ayton has recorded two consecutive “quiet” double-doubles since then, and done so in all of the usual fashion that is expected of a large center: scoring in the post; on free throws as defenders hack him to prevent an easy slam; and easy put back offensive rebounds. His total rebound numbers too have thus far been recorded by grabbing every carom that comes anywhere close to his zone (except for one that Dragan Bender straight ripped out of Ayton’s hands in the third quarter against Orlando), leaving no worry that Ayton can rebound at the next level, his body  more than big enough to box out anyone, and hands large enough to grab a board one-handed – out of mid-air.

I mentioned that Bender rebound because Dragan did absolutely take that easy board away from Ayton. However, I can envision a game very soon, once Ayton more fully takes to heart that he deserves to be in the NBA and can dominate even as a rookie, that Deandre forcefully rips a rebound from a teammate, who in turn never again attempts to get in the Phoenix franchise center’s way.

Through three Vegas games, the “regular season,” if you will, before the Summer League tournament, Ayton is averaging a “quiet” 16 points, 11 rebounds, and 1 block per game. His high-water mark so far, a 21 point (on 8-11 shooting from the field) and 12 rebound game 2 against Sacramento.

He is struggling with anchoring himself in post placement, some aggressiveness on the boards, and poor passing from his guards, yet once in position and with the ball, he is as dominant and unstoppable as anyone else, quietly illustrating why he went first overall in June’s draft.

Ayton hasn’t had a single game yet with a number of flashy moves or plays that would either lead the Summer League coverage on SportsCenter or otherwise make fans of the league say “ooh” and “ahh.”

Those fans who are checking Ayton and the Suns out though are most definitely impressed by the quiet, methodical, and efficient way that he is letting the game come to him, specifically how he has put up box score-filling stats in every game, each of which Phoenix has ran away with – particularly because of his play.

Ayton will probably have a number of these games during the 2018-19 regular season, likely more often than not. For a full 48 minutes he won’t be an offensive focal point or defensive show-stopper, and yet his box score will read something to the effect of:

Deandre Ayton: 24 points, 8-13 FGs, 8-10 FTs, 13 rebounds, 2 blocks, 1 steal

and fans will look back and wonder, “how the heck did Ayton put up such good numbers? I hardly heard them call his name!”

Next: Josh Jackson is benefitting from a second Summer League

The odds are in the Phoenix Suns’ favor that someday Ayton will have more dominant games with flashy, SportsCenter-leading highlights, than not. He’ll develop into the post anchor that General Manager Ryan McDonough knew he was getting when he selected Ayton first overall, and a franchise centerpiece who paired with Devin Booker will make a truly dynamic duo.

Until then though, as he and his young Phoenix Suns team grows, he’ll have more stat lines like the ones he’s been having in Vegas, quiet but effective, regularly recording double-doubles, and the Suns will continue to win.

In that case you really can say of Deandre Ayton that he is silent, but deadly.