Regardless of what the situation and what the excuse is in regards to Phoenix Suns star Deandre Ayton for having a diuretic in his system, he is beyond blessed that Monty Williams is his head coach.
Absolutely zero disrespect to former Phoenix Suns head coach Igor Kokoskov, but if this incident involving Deandre Ayton being caught for taking a diuretic, a masking agent for what could have been used in an attempt to coverup an illegal drug, I do not have any faith that Kokoskov would have been a strong figure in Ayton’s life to have helped him learn and grow in this time of need.
The franchise has so much riding on Ayton growing as a man and an athlete, with the strong desire to potentially become one of the most dominant centers in the NBA, justifying his selection first overall, over already star-studded guard, Luka Doncic.
Incidences like this, in which the 21-year-old NBA sophomore is likely to be suspended for 25 games, could be extremely detrimental to his mental growth, stunting his path towards the level of stardom we all hope he will reach, even derailing his career forever.
Friday morning, on Doug and Wolf, the first morning after the announcement of Ayton’s suspension, the morning show rockstar hosts interviewed new head coach Monty Williams.
Monty is one of the most centered, family-oriented, and spiritual people in the NBA.
Hired, among other reasons, for his ability to relate to the young players and use his own past as teachable moments, using and illustrating both his own mistakes as a man and a coach, as well as the lessons learned from the loss of his first wife, if there is any one person in the league who can walk Ayton through this time, and help him learn and grow, it is Williams.
"“He will be around the team, because that’s who we are. We are not a team or an organization that shuns people when they make mistakes. Our guys have shown a level of unity in any given situation…We have leadership on this team.”"
A team can very easily isolate a player after making a mistake such as this one.
The individuals as a whole can be so intensely focused on their own goals that when a player is suspended for a length of time, they can essentially ignore that player throughout the duration of the suspension trying not to let him be too much of a distraction while in his absence.
For a young player like Ayton, this could assuredly be something that could have detrimental effects on his psyche, depending upon his personal mental state throughout this entire ordeal.
Thus, having both his teammates around for support, and specifically his mature and well-rounded head coach to help mentally deal with with it all, they will all keep the young man grounded, centered, and maturing throughout.
When asked if Monty was worried about how this will impact Ayton as a person, the coach’s response would make any father’s heart melt.
"“Just as a father, you’re always worried about young people in any situation. And so, I’m a Dad who has kids in college, and so I totally get it (apparently referencing that Deandre is young and like many youth, prone to making mistakes). But like I said, he’ll be around our program. He’ll be with us a lot. We’re going to support him and love him. He’ll be better for it as he gets through it; we’ll be better through it.”"
While the rest of the Valley of the Suns sulks at the loss of one of their stars, and fans of the league use this incident as another reason to attack the franchise (although Phoenix Suns fans as well have reason to blame the franchise as well – notice how this never happened with Aaron Nelson was the Head Athletic Trainer?), Deandre Ayton will have an opportunity to stay centered and focused.
In his head coach he will have a father-figure with him throughout these next seven-and-a-half weeks. A man who has gone through it all and knows what is “on the other side of darkness,” Monty’s own phrase.
As fans, we can only be upset from the outside that this incident has ever taken place, and for many of us, wonder if this is just the same old Suns that we have been forced to follow and who’s constant mis-steps and another in a line of abject public failures we have been forced to endure.
However, inside the organization, where the real healing and growth can take place, there is a single individual in place who can help guide Deandre Ayton through it all; guide the team; guide the franchise; and even guide the Valley while the star player sits in his prescribed time out.
Deandre Ayton is blessed that Monty Williams is his head coach. So are the Phoenix Suns – and their fans.