TREAT: The Suns are doing this without Deandre Ayton
After the Phoenix Suns blew out the Sacramento Kings in game-one, the league suspended their star center, Deandre Ayton for a banned diuretic. Nevertheless, the Suns persisted.
Aron Baynes stepped in and proved he is more than a worthy substitute for Ayton, and it is almost as if the Suns haven’t missed a beat without their prized draft pick on the floor.
While Baynes did have three blocks against the Warriors in their last game, high-flying rim-protection is not what he is known for. The Suns are averaging only 4 blocks per game, ranking them 25th in the league, yet still, their defense is one of the main reasons for their early success.
Once Ayton comes back, whenever that may be, expect those blocks to increase, but until then, the Suns seem to be just fine playing below-the-rim defense exceedingly well. That shouldn’t change throughout the year.
The other aspect of this Ayton-less success that should be encouraging for Suns fans is the amount of quality minutes both Baynes and Frank Kaminsky are getting. If Monty Williams were to have stuck to a 10-man rotation and Cameron Johnson was in it, that would have squeezed out either Baynes of Kaminsky.
Ayton’s absence has freed up minutes for the two would-be backups and they have flourished. Once Ayton does return, Kaminsky and Baynes will enter the game with enhanced confidence in their ability to contribute.