Deandre Ayton on Joel Embiid: ‘I’m about to copy all of that’

[Yuma]

“It was fun because I finally played against Joel Embiid,” Ayton said after the game. “Obviously he’s one of the unicorns in the league. How he used his body down low, I’m about to copy all of that.

“I’m just going to take that. I’m just going to steal it.”

We can ONLY hope! Ayton would be Embiid with a jump shot and a hook shot!!!

 

[JCSunsfan]

The fouls that Embiid got were horrific calls. I am not sure if he really got fouled even once during that game. It comically bad, investigation forthcoming bad, one of the worst reffed games I have ever seen.

So, young man. The moral of the story is that if you are going to get called for the foul anyway, you might as well make it hurt.

 

[Mainstreet]

We can ONLY hope! Ayton would be Embiid with a jump shot and a hook shot!!!

I think Ayton will be better than Embiid in time and he is four years younger.

I'm hoping Ayton eventually gets the same foul calls as JC points out.

 

[Raindog]

I think Ayton will be better than Embiid in time and he is four years younger.

Not to mention Ayton isn't any where nearly as brittle as Embiid has proven to be. I would be quite surprised if Embiid goes for very long without having another serious injury, especially with his intense style.

 

[sunsfan88]

Not to mention Ayton isn't any where nearly as brittle as Embiid has proven to be. I would be quite surprised if Embiid goes for very long without having another serious injury, especially with his intense style.

Philly fans are hoping it's a Steph Curry type deal where he was injury prone earlier in his career then able to knock it off later.

 

[1tinsoldier]

The fouls that Embiid got were horrific calls. I am not sure if he really got fouled even once during that game. It comically bad, investigation forthcoming bad, one of the worst reffed games I have ever seen.

yes, all around one of the worst reffed games ever from start to finish. there were many calls i was baffled by. and a few the announcers didn't explain while they were blabbing about something else

and they keep talking about the rules now being harder on defenders but i'm not aware of what rules they're talking about -- unless they're just talking about the refs being harder on defenders?

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

I think Ayton will be better than Embiid in time and he is four years younger.

I'm hoping Ayton eventually gets the same foul calls as JC points out.

You’re talking offensively, right? He doesn’t show the timing or inclination necessary to be the rim protector Embiid has been since college.

 

[Mainstreet]

You’re talking offensively, right? He doesn’t show the timing or inclination necessary to be the rim protector Embiid has been since college.

I'm talking all around better. Ayton seems to be a sponge and wants to get better at every phase of the game. If he wants to become a rim protector I think he can unless one believes this is an innate ability.

I think a lot of good defensive players are good because they enjoy shutting someone down. Of course Ayton will have to want to get there.

 

[AzStevenCal]

You’re talking offensively, right? He doesn’t show the timing or inclination necessary to be the rim protector Embiid has been since college.

Agreed. I expect Ayton to have a better overall career but I don't think he'll ever be the complete player that Embiid is. If Joel had come out healthy and stayed that way, I think when his career ran down he'd be in the argument for top 5 centers of all time. Just "in the argument" as the top 5 is a pretty tough nut to crack but I do think he'd be comfortably above the Ewing's and the Robinson's.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

I'm talking all around better. Ayton seems to be a sponge and wants to get better at every phase of the game. If he wants to become a rim protector I think he can unless one believes this is an innate ability.

I think a lot of good defensive players are good because they enjoy shutting someone down. Of course Ayton will have to want to get there.

Uh, so your argument for why Ayton isn’t a good rim protector is that he just hasn’t wanted to be to this point in his basketball playing career? Yeah, don’t sign me up for that point of view.

 

[Mainstreet]

Uh, so your argument for why Ayton isn’t a good rim protector is that he just hasn’t wanted to be to this point in his basketball playing career? Yeah, don’t sign me up for that point of view.

I think Ayton can improve as a rim protector. IMO, it's all about desire. I'm hoping he has a burning desire to be the best. Defense is all about effort. Maybe it doesn't come naturally to Ayton but he has the ability to do it.

 

[GatorAZ]

Uh, so your argument for why Ayton isn’t a good rim protector is that he just hasn’t wanted to be to this point in his basketball playing career? Yeah, don’t sign me up for that point of view.

Yeah I haven’t seen anything to suggest he’ll ever care about protecting the rim. He’s shown to desire to do it an any level. It’s just not who he is. He needs to be a generational offensive player to sniff Embiid’s overall impact.

 

[NashDishesDimes]

If afraid Ayton is to nice to ever become dominant as Embiid. Im just digging here but it is a concern for me.

 

[1tinsoldier]

it's hard to believe Ayton could learn to be as aggressive on D as Embiid
but i'm open

can anyone give us an example or two of any player who was **** on D
who later in their career was considered an excellent defender?

 

[Mainstreet]

Our player will be better than their player.

We will need to check back in a few years!

 

[BC867]

Uh, so your argument for why Ayton isn’t a good rim protector is that he just hasn’t wanted to be to this point in his basketball playing career? Yeah, don’t sign me up for that point of view.

I agree.

His experience was one year of college ... out of position at Power Forward.

That is his basketball playing career. His career as a pro and a Center has just begun.

Oh, the age of instant gratification.

 

[Hoop Head]

it's hard to believe Ayton could learn to be as aggressive on D as Embiid
but i'm open

can anyone give us an example or two of any player who was **** on D
who later in their career was considered an excellent defender?

I don't think he was s*** but definitely lacked a desire and was a bit goofy but Robin Lopez started his career pretty mediocre on the defensive end. He got better as time went on and seemed to find his spot in the league being a tough interior defender and rebounder.

Trying to think of someone else and maybe Tyson Chandler might fit in that mold some but he was misused as a PF early in his career next to Eddy Curry. Once he got out of Chicago and used as a Center himself he seemed to become a much better defender. Of course with Chandler he was a high school to NBA player and those players took longer to develop, generally, so it may have just been a matter of needing time to find his role in the NBA.

With both of those guys though they didn't have much of an offensive game so I'm not sure you could properly compare them to Ayton. If they didn't become good defenders then their careers would have been short. It was clear early on that neither would be good offensive players so they had to work hard to keep getting deals and with Ayton's offense I don't see him having an issue finding a role or a team willing to give him a look so he doesn't have the same incentive to become good or great defensively.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

If afraid Ayton is to nice to ever become dominant as Embiid. Im just digging here but it is a concern for me.

I get that feeling too. But I don’t think nice has to stand in his way. David Robinson May have been the nicest player ever to play. Tim Duncan was super nice as well. Both dominant players. And both excellent defensive players.

But I get what you’re saying. It’s what cheese and I keep referencing whenever we question if he has that dog in him. He also continues to strike me as a big kid. He’s all wide-eyed and seemingly star-struck. Most players, even young ones, come into the league looking to prove themselves against their idols. Many say they are honored to play against them, but few (and none to my personal recollection) have actually said they were star struck as Ayton said (or something to that effect).

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

I agree.

His experience was one year of college ... out of position at Power Forward.

That is his basketball playing career. His career as a pro and a Center has just begun.

Oh, the age of instant gratification.

Lol. His position doesn’t matter. Power forwards are allowed, and - shock/dismayo - even encouraged to block shots. And although Ayton played at power forward, I watched almost every game last year, the narrative that he spent all his time at the three point line is hogwash. I can’t believe so many of you continue to grasp for excuses for a glaring hole in his game. It exists. May it improve? I certainly hope so. But it definitively exists and is a concern.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

I don't think he was s*** but definitely lacked a desire and was a bit goofy but Robin Lopez started his career pretty mediocre on the defensive end. He got better as time went on and seemed to find his spot in the league being a tough interior defender and rebounder.

Trying to think of someone else and maybe Tyson Chandler might fit in that mold some but he was misused as a PF early in his career next to Eddy Curry. Once he got out of Chicago and used as a Center himself he seemed to become a much better defender. Of course with Chandler he was a high school to NBA player and those players took longer to develop, generally, so it may have just been a matter of needing time to find his role in the NBA.

With both of those guys though they didn't have much of an offensive game so I'm not sure you could properly compare them to Ayton. If they didn't become good defenders then their careers would have been short. It was clear early on that neither would be good offensive players so they had to work hard to keep getting deals and with Ayton's offense I don't see him having an issue finding a role or a team willing to give him a look so he doesn't have the same incentive to become good or great defensively.

Chandler averaged 1.3 blocks/game in 19.3 mins/game his rookie year right out of high school. So close to three and half tines ayton’s current rate of blocks/minute.

Lopez averaged 0.7 blocks/ game in 10.2 mins/game. So also three and half times Ayton’s current rate of blocks/minute.

I’m not sure what you’re attempting to prove bringing up those two players in regards to discussing Aytin’s blocks.

 

[BC867]

Chandler averaged 1.3 blocks/game in 19.3 mins/game his rookie year right out of high school. So close to three and half tines ayton’s current rate of blocks/minute.

Lopez averaged 0.7 blocks/ game in 10.2 mins/game. So also three and half times Ayton’s current rate of blocks/minute.

I’m not sure what you’re attempting to prove bringing up those two players in regards to discussing Aytin’s blocks.

You're comparing 1st season stats to just into his rookie season for Ayton.

How did Chandler and Lopez do in the same number of games to start their rookie season?

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

You're comparing 1st season stats to just into his rookie season for Ayton.

How did Chandler and Lopez do in the same number of games to start their rookie season?

I don’t think that’s available. If it is, I’m admittedly not spending the time to look it up.

That said at 16 games (close to 20%) into the season Ayton would have to average almost 2.6 blocks/game in his 32 mins/game over the remaining 66 games to match their season-long per minute rate. I don’t see that happening.

 

[AzStevenCal]

You're comparing 1st season stats to just into his rookie season for Ayton.

How did Chandler and Lopez do in the same number of games to start their rookie season?

I don't know if either player drew much playing time at the beginning of their rookie season. My guess, even in their limited opportunities, they showed more promise as rim defenders.

 

[GatorAZ]

You're comparing 1st season stats to just into his rookie season for Ayton.

How did Chandler and Lopez do in the same number of games to start their rookie season?

Ayton is so long and athletic he should have plenty more blocks by accident. But it’s not necessarily the numbers that are troubling as the complete lack of desire to contest shots in general.

 

[Cheesebeef]

Ayton is so long and athletic he should have plenty more blocks by accident. But it’s not necessarily the numbers that are troubling as the complete lack of desire to contest shots in general.

yup.

note to Ayton: can't copy heart and desire. you gotta find those yourself big man.