3 reasons the Phoenix Suns are right to keep Deandre Ayton
By Luke Duffy
3 reasons the Phoenix Suns are right to keep Deandre Ayton.
1. He’s never played for a head coach like Frank Vogel.
If there is one person who is going to be able to get through to Ayton, it is new head coach Frank Vogel. He arrives with the sterling reputation of having won a championship with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020, and had them lead the league in defensive rating despite being decimated with injuries in 2021.
Prior to that, he turned Roy Hibbert into a monster in the paint as the Indiana Pacers made Eastern Conference Finals appearances in 2013 and 2014, and on a less important note here he helped Paul George blossom into the two-way superstar that he would become.
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Vogel even managed to get former Magic big Nikola Vucevic (another player who is just not on Ayton’s level) to play the best defense of his career, and although it was only just above league average, it was miles better than the revolving door he had previously been. Vogel has plenty of experience, and working with Vogel will be something he is already looking forward to.
The Suns aren’t exactly going to go back to working out of the post often, but Vogel will ensure that Ayton’s number gets called some. He may also run some rotations where Durant sits, and one of Booker, or more likely Beal, can run some two-man action with Ayton to get him involved offensively.
dark. Next. A thank you to Chris Paul for all he did for the Phoenix Suns
It is Beal who represents real intrigue here, as he is a guard who can hand the ball off and pop up again elsewhere to receive it and score in bunches. He is comfortable doing this and is going to excel with the Suns as a result. This could mean Ayton screening for Beal, which is hardly going to excite him, but also potentially finding Beal with short passes and cuts to the basket himself.
This engagement will surely then have Ayton doing whatever is necessary on the defensive end for Vogel. Should he start to get some serious Defensive Player of the Year buzz, Ayton would surely buy into what his coach is telling him to do, as he finally gets some national recognition for all of the right reasons. Ayton is going to thrive under coach Vogel, of that there is no doubt.