Deandre Ayton Will Make-or-Break Suns Title Hopes
When it comes to star power, the Phoenix Suns certainly aren't lacking. Their trio of Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal figures to be one of the best in the league, and excitement within the desert is certainly deserved.
Phoenix has fielded strong teams in the previous three seasons, nearly winning the 2021 NBA Finals. Two early exits in the postseason have followed since, and as a result, the Suns have pushed their chips to the middle of the table in order to bring home a franchise first NBA title.
Beal, Durant and Booker are deservedly talked about the most, though the true ingredient to securing a ring resides in the hopes of Deandre Ayton.
ESPN's Zach Lowe dove deep into the Suns' upcoming season and why Ayton is so important:
"Ayton is the make-or-break factor in Phoenix's defense being good enough to win four playoff series. He developed from a confused, out-of-his-depth rookie into a reliable centerpiece during the Suns' 2021 Finals run. As last season unraveled, the balance Ayton had worked so hard to hone eluded him," said Lowe.
"He abandoned ball handlers too early on the pick-and-roll, turning his back to them, retreating from live dribbles, conceding driving lanes he had once shut off. Needed help rotations never came. Ayton regressed into that addled rookie again.
"It's hard to quantify, but some of that backslide must have resulted from obvious tension between Ayton and several corners of the organization. The front office forced him to seek out an offer sheet elsewhere in free agency. His relationship with Monty Williams, then the Suns' head coach, deteriorated after the team's meltdown in Game 7 of the second round against the Dallas Mavericks in 2022. Teammates -- including deep bench players just watching -- did not hide their frustration with Ayton's bouts of passivity.
"There is no viable trade right now turning Ayton into the kinds of players (or picks) that would maintain or boost the Suns' title odds, per league sources. The Suns' top priority -- from Ishbia to Ayton and down to the 15th man -- should be doing whatever it takes to repair their relationship with Ayton, to lift him back up. The Suns' likely path toward a good-enough defense is switching a ton across the perimeter while keeping Ayton closer to the paint as the last line."
Lowe brings up all strong points. Ayton certainly didn't feel wanted or welcomed under the previous regime, something new head coach Frank Vogel aims to change:
"He can be a big time deterrent. There's still areas that he can grow offensively. But I'm intent on really connecting with him and restoring him to an all star level player," said Vogel earlier in the offseason.
"I think it starts with the big fella. I've always had elite rim protectors, and you can get the job done without that, but boy when you got a guy like that in front of the basket deterring everything that comes to the rim. You just get stronger in everything."
