(Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images)
Deandre Ayton of the Phoenix Suns has been one of the NBA’s better centers over the past few years, but he has faced some criticism recently.
At least some of it has to do with his weak performance in the playoffs this past season when Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets dominated him as the Suns lost to them in six games in the second round.
More and more people feel the team should trade Ayton, especially since they have a glaring lack of depth after giving up most of their supporting players to acquire Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal.
But Suns general manager James Jones has his back.
“He’s an 18 and 10 player and if you were to ask the game’s greatest players how easy it is to do that, they’ll tell you it’s extremely difficult, but even that bar isn’t high enough for him and others.” James Jones on Deandre Ayton #Suns
Full story here: https://t.co/VYOki3X6b4 pic.twitter.com/kQIFAYP7Pf
— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) July 22, 2023
Ayton is a fantastic finisher in the paint, and Phoenix often runs a heavy diet of pick-and-rolls involving him in order to catch a smaller defender on him following a defensive switch.
He is also one of a handful of players who have ever averaged at least 10.0 rebounds a game in each of his first five seasons.
However, Ayton has never made an All-Star team, and while he’s certainly a scoring threat (he averaged 18.0 points a game this past season), his one-on-one offensive game is somewhat limited.
In addition, he isn’t much of a defensive presence, and he has gone from averaging 1.5 blocked shots a game in the 2019-20 season to just 0.8 blocks a contest this past year.
He nearly left the Suns last summer, only to receive a lucrative new contract worth over $30 million a year, and many wonder if he’s truly worth that kind of coin.
The post Suns GM Defends Star Against Ongoing Criticism appeared first on The Cold Wire.