THIS AYTON VIDEO SHOWED UP TODAY ON MY NEWSFEED

[AZ Native]

The remarks are...interesting. And yes, I was thrilled when we drafted at #1.

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[elindholm]

The remarks are...interesting. And yes, I was thrilled when we drafted at #1.

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There are more dunks in that clip than he's had in his entire pro career. What has happened?

 

[StreetTruckinTitan]

Back when Ayton was hungry. Btw; I wanted NBA ready Luka Doncic.

 

[Devilmaycare]

There are more dunks in that clip than he's had in his entire pro career. What has happened?

He's plays against men now and not boys.

 

[overseascardfan]

He got paid which is what he always said was indication of success. Now he is coasting through his NBA career. He'll do enough to stay in NBA and collect his next couple of contracts, he's not trying to end up like Kwame Brown or Anthony Bennett.

 

[Joe Mama]

So if you could go back and do it over would it automatically be Dončić? If we are talking about the players they are today I actually think JJJ would be the best guy for this team.

What about the pick we used on bridges?

I just remember the first two minutes I saw Deandre Ayton in summer league my heart sank. Unfortunately he's still doing those same things today… Getting shoved under the basket over and over.

He's teased repeatedly since then, but I will trade him this very minute for an average starting center and back up PG or 3 and d wing.

Joe

 

[AzStevenCal]

So if you could go back and do it over would it automatically be Dončić? If we are talking about the players they are today I actually think JJJ would be the best guy for this team.

What about the pick we used on bridges?

I just remember the first two minutes I saw Deandre Ayton in summer league my heart sank. Unfortunately he's still doing those same things today… Getting shoved under the basket over and over.

He's teased repeatedly since then, but I will trade him this very minute for an average starting center and back up PG or 3 and d wing.

Joe

I've said this before but at the time, my dream scenario was to trade the pick and end up with Trae Young and JJJ. But if I knew then what I know now, I'd have traded down for SGA and future picks, or just future picks.

I was in favor of the Ayton pick over Luka although I expected Doncic to be legitimate. I knew a lot of DA's warts, especially his hands and his lack of physicality, but I never in my worst nightmare expected him to be this mediocre 5 years later.

If he'd been a mid to late first round pick and had to work hard to earn his big payday, I still think he'd have become a very good player. But at this point, I don't believe any coach is going to make him into anything special.

 

[sdscard4]

I've said this before but at the time, my dream scenario was to trade the pick and end up with Trae Young and JJJ. But if I knew then what I know now, I'd have traded down for SGA and future picks, or just future picks.

I was in favor of the Ayton pick over Luka although I expected Doncic to be legitimate. I knew a lot of DA's warts, especially his hands and his lack of physicality, but I never in my worst nightmare expected him to be this mediocre 5 years later.

If he'd been a mid to late first round pick and had to work hard to earn his big payday, I still think he'd have become a very good player. But at this point, I don't believe any coach is going to make him into anything special.

Seriously? You would have traded the pick? Cause at the time I think nobody was thinking that

 

[AZ Native]

He's plays against men now and not boys.

But he was a boy then. He is a man now. Just playing devil's advocate.

 

[Germz249]

So if you could go back and do it over would it automatically be Dončić? If we are talking about the players they are today I actually think JJJ would be the best guy for this team.

What about the pick we used on bridges?

I just remember the first two minutes I saw Deandre Ayton in summer league my heart sank. Unfortunately he's still doing those same things today… Getting shoved under the basket over and over.

He's teased repeatedly since then, but I will trade him this very minute for an average starting center and back up PG or 3 and d wing.

Joe

I would have traded the pick away for an established player.

 

[Mainstreet]

I've said this before but at the time, my dream scenario was to trade the pick and end up with Trae Young and JJJ. But if I knew then what I know now, I'd have traded down for SGA and future picks, or just future picks.

I was in favor of the Ayton pick over Luka although I expected Doncic to be legitimate. I knew a lot of DA's warts, especially his hands and his lack of physicality, but I never in my worst nightmare expected him to be this mediocre 5 years later.

If he'd been a mid to late first round pick and had to work hard to earn his big payday, I still think he'd have become a very good player. But at this point, I don't believe any coach is going to make him into anything special.

I remember you liked Trae Young a lot if the Suns hand two picks in the 2018 draft. Can't remember the other one you liked.

Ryan McDonough really liked JJJ after working him out but I think Ayton was the Suns consensus pick.

I wanted the Suns to draft Ayton at #1 but if they could add another pick, I wanted them to draft Shai.

As a matter of fact, it took a lot of convincing the Suns had traded for Mikal Bridges instead. Of course, Bridges was an excellent player as well.

 

[AzStevenCal]

Seriously? You would have traded the pick? Cause at the time I think nobody was thinking that

Yeah I brought it up at least once before the draft and then again, several times, after hearing DA's interview where he asked another pro how they stayed motivated long enough to get to that big contract. Also, I really worried about Ayton's hands and I didn't want to take a Euro at the top of the draft because of how poorly that had worked out in the past, so yeah I fantasized about trading it to get both Trae and JJJ. Not that I ever thought it was feasible.

I thought Young was going to be the next great point guard and that JJJ could well become the best all round big man from that class. But right now, even if my dream scenario had come through, I'm not sure that would have been all that much better than what we did.

Trae is a talented cancer who shoots his team out of games and JJJ, due to injuries and poor shooting decisions, had arguably been a bigger disappointment than Ayton prior to this season. So like I said, if I could go back in time I'd change my perfect scenario to trading out of the first round completely or going after SGA if extra picks came with it.

 

[AzStevenCal]

I remember you liked Trae Young a lot if the Suns hand two picks in the 2018 draft. Can't remember the other one you liked.

Ryan McDonough really liked JJJ after working him out but I think Ayton was the Suns consensus pick.

I wanted the Suns to draft Ayton at #1 but if they could add another pick, I wanted them to draft Shai.

As a matter of fact, it took a lot of convincing the Suns had traded for Mikal Bridges instead. Of course, Bridges was an excellent player as well.

Yeah my heart was set on Trae Young but we desperately needed a decent big man too so I wanted to trade down for JJJ or if necessary, Wendell Carter Jr. And not because I knew Ayton or even Luka would disappoint, but because it was the best chance I could see to fix two roster problems.

Anyway, I didn't know much about Bridges so he was never on my radar and I had very mixed feelings on SGA. I liked things about him but as it was with Haliburton a couple years later, I wasn't convinced he could become a starting PG at this level.

But in hindsight, I'd have much preferred to come out of that draft with SGA, Bridges and future picks. And it was considered such a golden pick, we could well have landed them and a couple future firsts. Oh well, wasted opportunities.

 

[elindholm]

He's plays against men now and not boys.

I don't think that explains it. Even when he's wide open at the rim now, he's very reluctant to dunk it. That's not playing against men or boys; it's playing against thin air, and even that is enough to frighten him.

 

[Phrazbit]

There are a few big differences now compared to Ayton at Arizona.

If you look at almost every one of those dunks, he sets up by taking a dribble, no matter how deep he gets the ball. He still TRIES to do this in the pros, but teams don't let him, he gets collapsed on and either loses the ball or loses his momentum.

But the bigger problem is that Ayton plays well when he isn't feeling pressure and he is having fun. I have little doubt that being a college basketball superstar is a lot of fun... and being an NBA player with the expectations of being the #1 pick is a TON of pressure. He plainly isn't having fun. I think he played better in the 2021 playoffs because it was fun and new and the expectations for the Suns were pretty low going into it... most had us losing to the Lakers.

But even in college, when the pressure got real ramped up, Ayton struggled. That Arizona team got bounced in the first round.

 

[Raindog]

The remarks are...interesting. And yes, I was thrilled when we drafted at #1.

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Yeah, it's crazy. I remember watching him as a UA freshman playing against ASU and him basically just bulldozing ASU's admittedly undersized frontcourt players. It was like watching Giannis going up against Torey Craig in the 2021 Finals. I remember thinking there is no way this guy isn't going to dominate once he gets to the NBA.

I have no idea what happened to that Ayton. It's like someone replaced him with a pod person look alike who has the competitive fire of a baby squirrel.

 

[ajcardfan]

In the playoffs two years ago he was tremendous. IDK what happened, nobody does, which is why the frustration level with him is so high right now. Everyone knows he is capable of much better.

 

[Chris_Sanders]

He's the same guy. Just go read my "Ayton sorta sucks" thread pre draft thread. I watched him the whole PAC 12 tournament and he was a different guy from night to night, even from game to game. 37 points one night and then dominated by a bunch of no name midgets from Buffalo in the tournament.

Those highlights are him just getting to do what he wants and not spend the game setting screens for other players.

It would not surprise me if he had a Bridges renaissance on another team.

 

[SeattleCardinal]

As a side note, back in 2018, Sports Illustrated gave Philadelphia a "C-" for the Landry Shamet pick. Then again, Mikal Bridges was only a "C+" at that time. Josh Okogie was "A-" at pick no. 20.

https://www.si.com/nba/2018/06/21/2018-nba-draft-grades-players-teams-pick-analysis

 

[82CardsGrad]

It would not surprise me if he had a Bridges renaissance on another team.

Seriously? Nothing would surprise me more! Bridges has more heart, desire, drive and commitment in his pinky than Ayton has in his entire 7 foot body!
I would be shocked if Ayton’s game ever becomes anything more than what we see today.

 

[Chris_Sanders]

Seriously? Nothing would surprise me more! Bridges has more heart, desire, drive and commitment in his pinky than Ayton has in his entire 7 foot body!
I would be shocked if Ayton’s game ever becomes anything more than what we see today.

It's all about opportunity and focus. I thought he would get better with Durant being here but he has gotten even less of the ball and now is completely disengaged

 

[82CardsGrad]

It's all about opportunity and focus. I thought he would get better with Durant being here but he has gotten even less of the ball and now is completely disengaged

You have more hope in his heart and his drive than I do…