James Jones made a lot of player transactions for the Phoenix Suns this offseason. Everyone will get to see just how well these moves pan out in the wake of Deandre Ayton’s suspension.
With the news of Deandre Ayton serving a 25-game suspension for the Phoenix Suns, fans will truly see the team James Jones and Monty Williams have constructed.
Before the season, the team added depth at each and every position with legit NBA talent. No more G-Leaguers and draft busts.
The Suns have a tough early season schedule, facing teams like the Nuggets, Clippers, Lakers, Jazz and Warriors. If Ayton is out for the full 25 games, he would be back in time to play the Clippers on December 17th.
Hopefully, when Ayton does make his eventual return, he finds himself motivated and ready to takeover on the court.
Both the media and the fans have spent enough time beating up on Ayton for testing positive for a banned diuretic. Ayton will learn from his mistake and not allow something like this to happen again. It is the only way to rebuild his reputation.
Moving on from Ayton, let’s take a look at who needs to step up and how well the team can do up until December 17th.
Of course, the Suns need their rotation big men to step up. It is time for Aron Baynes, Dario Saric, Frank Kaminsky, and even Cheick Diallo to fill in the void Ayton left behind.
Baynes is a very capable starting center. He is a rough and tough interior defender, which will bring a great dynamic against the Jazz and the Lakers, two teams who look to get to the rim and finish over the top.
Kaminsky will be solid coming off the bench with his ability to shoot the ball and make the smart pass.
If Baynes and Kaminsky both step up in the center role, that will allow for Saric and Diallo to focus more on playing the power forward.
It is not just the big men that will need to fill Ayton’s void. The points need to be made up from somewhere, so players like Kelly Oubre Jr and Devin Booker may need to pick up that offensive lack.
It wouldn’t be surprising to see them average over 25 point per game during Ayton’s absence.
Time will tell how well everyone will do without Ayton, but all the players James Jones brought in this offseason will get their opportunity to shine.