Ayton's Development at the Quarter Mark of 2018-2019 Season

[SirStefan32]

This is the #1 adjustment Igor should be making, for months mind you, but he still isn’t doing it. He’s adjusting in other areas, why not this one??

Yep, it's been driving me crazy.

 

[SirStefan32]

That is why they need a point guard. I really hope they try and sign Kemba Walker.

While I agree that they need a point guard, I refuse to believe that NBA players are not capable of making a pass into the low post. It's just a pass, not that different from any other pass. I get that part of it is that Ayton is not good at sealing off his defender yet, but he does a decent job sometimes. They can also set a drive-by screen to give him some room. I can't believe that Booker, Warren, bridges, Melton, etc don't know how to pass the ball into the low post.

 

[95pro]

Simple fundamentals is what this team lacks. The passer never makes a bounce pass to ayton. It’s always a high pass that’s directly to the top of his head. Results in the defender on ayton poking the ball away.

The passer could throw over the top of his defender and lead ayton away from ayton defender, either with a straight pass or bounce. Also depends on how deep ayton gets himself before they inbound or get the ball down court.

 

[Proximo]

A large part of the problem is where Ayton needs the ball. If he could catch the ball 12 to 14 feet out and still be effective we would have zero issues getting it to him.

But he needs it 6 feet from the hoop currently and Defenses will do everything in their power to deny passes in that close.

He will complete his ability to dominate once he can incorporate one dribble moves, and a drop step. That should be his number one focus right now offensively.

 

[1Sun]

This is the #1 adjustment Igor should be making, for months mind you, but he still isn’t doing it. He’s adjusting in other areas, why not this one??

From what I've seen, with the exception of inserting Warren into the starting line-up (where he was way too slow to do that as well), the only adjustments Igor has been making are the ones where his hand has been forced by injuries or personnel moves (such as Canaan and Melton). I have yet to see a proactive adjustment made by Igor. I maintain that he is just too slow and passive to be an NBA head coach, recent relative success aside. Frankly, a head coach who was even average in terms of adjustments and game management would have definitely won Saturday at Washington and perhaps even yesterday at Brooklyn as well.

Outside of point guard, Igor remains our biggest weakness, in my opinion.

 

[JCSunsfan]

66.7 FG%. Let that sink in. Now, why is he not getting 20 shots per game? This is the part that's driving me crazy. Mind you, I am a huge Igor fan- I think he will be one of the best coaches in the NBA in the next couple of years, but this is driving me crazy. You have a guy shooting 67% from the field and you are not feeding him 20-25 shots every night... that's insane!

I wonder if it is Igor or the players. If it’s Igor it would have to be about bringing him along in a measured way. If it’s the players, players today are not used to running a game through a big. The only thing bigs are good for is the set a pick on the pick and roll and be ready for an occasional oop.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

That is why they need a point guard. I really hope they try and sign Kemba Walker.

I don’t see it.

Superstars leave their teams for three things:

1. More money
2. To join a better team
3. To play with friends

Let’s look at Kemba and the suns:

1. We can’t pay him more than Charlotte
2. We will have a worse record than Charlotte
3. Although I believe book and Ayton to be likable there’s no existing connection between them (or anyone else on the suns) and kemba (that I know of)

So the typical drivers aren’t there. The only hope would be to sell kemba on the potential of the team. That’s a really difficult sell imo.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

This is the #1 adjustment Igor should be making, for months mind you, but he still isn’t doing it. He’s adjusting in other areas, why not this one??

I have to believe it’s likely that ayton’s not ready to shoulder that responsibility yet. His conditioning may not be there. They are asking him to learn a lot of different things, so overloading any one of them might inhibit his growth in others. And maybe they just don’t want to put that much pressure on him . . . yet.

 

[sunsfan88]

I like Mike Conley as a better fit than Walker. Good defender and locked into a 3 yr contract.

Grizzlies season would have go really bad for them to consider that however.

 

[sunsfan88]

66.7 FG%. Let that sink in. Now, why is he not getting 20 shots per game? This is the part that's driving me crazy. Mind you, I am a huge Igor fan- I think he will be one of the best coaches in the NBA in the next couple of years, but this is driving me crazy. You have a guy shooting 67% from the field and you are not feeding him 20-25 shots every night... that's insane!

Yeah this is one of my gripes as well. I wonder how much of it has to do with the fact that we have extremely bad passers who struggle throwing the ball into the post.

I have seen Ayton get good positioning inside and our guards or forwards will look his way and then hesitate for so long that someone else helps backdoor. Or else, they force a bad pass which ends up a turnover.

 

[sunsfan88]

xc_hide_links_from_guests_guests_error_hide_media

This has to be his next step on which he needs to improve.

 

[AzStevenCal]

Let’s look at Kemba and the suns:

1. We can’t pay him more than Charlotte
2. We will have a worse record than Charlotte
3. Although I believe book and Ayton to be likable there’s no existing connection between them (or anyone else on the suns) and kemba (that I know of)

So the typical drivers aren’t there. The only hope would be to sell kemba on the potential of the team. That’s a really difficult sell imo.

We can't pay him more than Charlotte but he qualifies for the Super Max there and I'm not sure they are willing to pay him that much.

 

[95pro]

xc_hide_links_from_guests_guests_error_hide_media

This has to be his next step on which he needs to improve.

Like I’ve said he doesn’t give a cushion when guarding near the perimeter.

And the other plays he was just getting back doored. The back cuts are in him, he needs to shade/stunt towards the back cutter to have the passer look off the guy back cutting. Instead he’s been flat footed.

 

[Errntknght]

I have to believe it’s likely that ayton’s not ready to shoulder that responsibility yet. His conditioning may not be there. They are asking him to learn a lot of different things, so overloading any one of them might inhibit his growth in others. And maybe they just don’t want to put that much pressure on him . . . yet.

I think this quite likely a good part of it. May well be the same thing on D - he'd be browbeating Ayton if he kept after everything he did wrong. You don't really want to make him think too much, to be very valuable the moves have to become instinctive or first reaction.

 

[BC867]

While I agree that they need a point guard, I refuse to believe that NBA players are not capable of making a pass into the low post. It's just a pass, not that different from any other pass. I get that part of it is that Ayton is not good at sealing off his defender yet, but he does a decent job sometimes. They can also set a drive-by screen to give him some room. I can't believe that Booker, Warren, bridges, Melton, etc don't know how to pass the ball into the low post.

Is it a case of don't know how or have not been particularly skilled at it per NBA standards?

It doesn't matter if you are capable or not capable. Just that you are better than your opponents. It is a tough league.