Stocking stuffers for every Phoenix Suns player

Deandre Ayton

A Friend

Deandre Ayton probably feels like a pretty lonely guy right now. He disappointed his teammates, his coaches, and the entire Suns fan base when he got suspended 25 games for testing positive to the mean street drug known as a diuretic.

Then, after just one game back where he shot pretty much exclusively 18-footers, the big man finds himself with a twisted ankle and resigned back to the bench in street clothes. It has to be an empty feeling for the guy with a ton of pressure on him to live up to his #1 overall draft selection.

The pressure is exponentially higher because Luka Doncic is playing like a generational superstar and some Suns fans have been extremely vocal in expressing their trade regret from last year.

So while Deandre Ayton needs a healed ankle, some confidence, and an education from the Kelly Oubre school for assertiveness, he probably just needs a friend right now, so I figured I’d put one his stocking.

The logistics of this are tough. If Tyler Ulis was still around, I figured I could stuff him in a stocking, but since he’s gone, I haven’t really figured out a way to make this happen. It’ll probably have to be a pen pal type-arrangement with someone on a remote island somewhere there are no Suns fans, but I’ll think of a way.

Hang in there, Deandre. The new year is right around the corner. Time to start over.