Giving Up on Deandre Ayton Would Be a Poor Look for the Phoenix Suns
The Suns chose to draft Ayton, who went to high school and college in Arizona, first overall, in a class with eventual NBA superstars like Luka Dončić and Trae Young.
While those two are clearly seen as better players in this class, it was almost insulting that the Suns did not put the same faith in their young star as other teams did. They failed to offer him the same max extension that Dončić, Young, Shai-Gilgeous Alexander, and Michael Porter Jr. received.
Ayton’s role on the team was vital, and he forwent the stat-chasing approach for a more unselfish role on a winning team. He bought in on defense and served as the team’s anchor and communicator on that end, while sacrificing touches on the other end.
In June 2021, Chris Paul proclaimed that the Suns were “gonna get a bag this summer”, yet they failed to do so. His efforts were not rewarded, and it could be said that him and his talents were being disrespected by the coaching staff and front office.
Monty Williams on Deandre Ayton's hot start: "Early he was pretty good. I thought he settled us a little bit. But I thought some of those plays, even when we scored, I didn't think it felt like us."
— Gerald Bourguet (@GeraldBourguet) October 21, 2021
Even as Ayton was scoring efficiently and keeping the Suns in the game, Williams dismissed his contributions to the team’s offense as a whole, despite the crucial role he played for them.
When asked about Ayton’s limited playing time (17 minutes) in their elimination game against the Dallas Mavericks, Williams’s reply was short, calling it “internal.”
Ayton has not consistently been given the respect that he has deserved as the franchise’s #1 overall pick, and while he hasn’t been as perfect as imagined, the criticism on him has been unfair for the most part.