Monty Williams on Deandre Ayton playing only 17 minutes: "It's internal."
Deandre Ayton and Monty Williams
© Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
The collapse of the Phoenix Suns in Game 7 versus the Dallas Mavericks has been the hottest topic of conversation in the NBA today, and it seems the future of this team is up in the air, especially after hearing coach Monty Williams' comments regarding his center Deandre Ayton.
The Suns No-Show
This NBA season saw a lot of ups and downs from contending teams, but one unit was solid throughout the whole year. The 64-win Suns jumped ahead of everyone early, and they never looked back following their Finals appearance last season. It was looking like the revenge tour, but Luka Doncic and the Mavs had other plans.
In an unusual seven-game series that saw all games practically end in blowouts, the Mavs prevailed as the undergods, surpassing all expectations coming into the season. But it seems that the Suns collapsing is even more shocking than the Mavs going this far.
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The Ayton saga
All of the Suns' stars played poorly, but what caught the eyes of most was Deandre Ayton's performance and playing time in the most crucial game of the season. Although the season started with a huge question mark around the young center, due to the Suns not giving him the max extension, it seems that didn't bother him and the team. Ayton averaged 17.2 ppg and 10.2 rpg in a good year for the dominant Suns.
But in the postseason, Ayton has dropped off and last night was the epitome of that. Deandre only played 17 minutes, scoring 5 points and grabbing 4 rebounds. Looking at the body language, it was apparent that something wasn't right with the big men, and the comment from coach Monty Williams about Ayton's playing time proved that.
It seems ridiculous that Sarver and the Suns are hesitating to lock up their 23-year-old center for the future, but he is known as a pretty cheap owner. They saved a couple of dollars if they want to extend him this offseason, but it seems that move has affected Ayton and the Suns' season in a horrible way. If it's the extension or something other bothering Ayton, it's obvious it affected Monty and the whole team.
Nobody really faulted the Suns for picking Ayton at #1 in 2018, but it seems guys like Luka Doncic, Trae Young, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Shai Gilgeous Alexander maybe could have been even better choices.
Deandre Ayton's future in Phoenix is up in the air, and we could see a different Suns team coming back next season after they allowed another amazing run to go down the drain.
