Deandre Ayton Discussion: This Is A Platform I Can't Run From

i tried to find some patterns above, but for now, it sure seems like the "sometimes ayton feels like playing" explanation is the leader in the clubhouse, lol.

and this shouldn't be shocking, as that's been the book on him forever. the "i can't run from this platform" was his own sort of acknowledgement of this. it's why we got him on a buyout instead of having to trade a first or two for him.

imo, though, our center play between him and hayes has been good enough this year.

 

Agreed. I totally get the frustration of the other fanbases though. One day its 20 and 15, the next 2 and 3. Drove Monty Williams off the side of a cliff. lol.

He's been solid for us overall though and a definite improvement.

 

having hayes really take another step forward and be a very solid backup has helped. between the two of them, we should be able to find decent play at the 5 most nights.

 

There are definitely motor and mentality issues with Ayton, but part of it is a general team problem too. Ayton is a play finisher, not a creator. He gets his shots out of P&R, whether rolling to the rim or taking advantage of switches. He also gets the put backs around the rim and little hook shots when he gets position on his man. His shots don't really come from post-ups or him creating against set defenses.

His stats remind me of those NFL stats where a team is like 9-1 when their RB gets X number of carries. That doesn't mean you force feed that guy the ball. It means that his stats are a symptom of the offense functioning properly. When Luka and our other ball-handlers are sharp and not settling for contested jumpers, and our role players are making enough shots to keep the defense honest, the opportunities for Ayton are there and he converts a lot of them. But if the offense bogs down and/or an opponent with the right personnel goes switch-heavy, Ayton doesn't get as many opportunities and starts to check out. Having Austin back will help - he has the best P&R chemistry with Ayton and the offense functions better with him generally.

 

There's a stat going around where we win almost every game when Ayton has 15+ points
We need to motivate him and put him in places to succeed with our 3 floor generals. We should maximize that offensive weapon as much as possible to mitigate the inconsistent shooting

As for moving forward, I'm pretty sure we sign to an amount slightly above the MLE, depending on how much Indiana can pressure us. But I'm not in the camp of having him as the default 5 in the mid-long term.

He's fine for now and our best option to focus our purchasing power in other glaring needs, but I'd be on the look for upgrades, notably in motor and defense. Luka is already very nonchalant in his style and very to drive through so I'd rather have some strong dude on the back that also brings the energy up for the team. Gafford would be nice, I see why he worked so well with Luka