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With the play set and ready to go, just before they broke their rally, Monty Williams’ last message to his team was simple.
He said, “Do it.” “If he throws it, DA, you have to, like, try to dunk it. Okay?”
Williams was talking to Deandre Ayton, telling his big man in his third year that this play, which host Phoenix Suns had never played before, was for him. It was a play that Tuesday’s Western Conference Game Two Finals will somehow decide what kind of play you put in the hands of your franchise player.
For Suns, this is usually Devin Booker – or Chris Paul, when available. But it was fitting that, one night, about three hours before the chaotic final moments of Game 2, had ping pong balls pulled from the hopper and the 2021 lottery was officially released, the previous first public pick was iTunes with the most important Suns in a decade in his hands.
Ayton’s place in the draft history is an unusual one, far from any consideration of bust or poor choice, but also that neither man took two places and four points behind him. Since the Suns first took him overall in 2018, Luka Doncic and Tra Young have risen to stardom. Most of the draft post-mortem analysis centered around the trade swap between Doncic and Young, but Suns’ choice of Ayton remained an ordinary whisper of what if.
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It came to a head last season when Eaton was suspended 25 games for using a banned substance, a diuretic. It came a day after a dominant performance on opening night as Eaton scored 18 points, 11 rebounds and 4 blocks in the win over the Sacramento Kings. The sun looked good. So did Ayton. But after he got suspended, and an ankle injury slowed him down afterward, Suns found no traction.
Their bubble run has been the basis for everything this season, including Ayton. In the past, he wasn’t as committed to the business as he should have been. Not that he’s lazy or unmotivated, but there are levels of achievement and performance, and Eaton admits he wasn’t at the level he needed to be.
“There were times when I didn’t show up even on holidays,” Eaton said. “[Williams] He’d use something called gym scent, and at least touch a ball, and that instilled that into me as I constantly wanted to hone my skills and be the best I could be. “
Eaton spent the break changing his approach, renewing his work ethic and commitment to being a dominant big man. The accountability of fellow veterans, such as Paul and Jay Crowder, has helped the refreshed mindset.
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Deandre Ayton puts the defense in the know as he flatly throws a two-handed immersion down the alleyway of Devin Booker.
“I can keep going where he is now,” Williams said. “He just turned into a really dominant player, on both ends of the earth.”
This postseason has been shown as Ayton has shown his ability in both directions. He took on the challenge of guarding Anthony Davis (before his injury), then league best player Nikola Jokic and now small ball Los Angeles Clippers. Its versatility has created a new dynamic for dealing with clippers – the size, speed and speed of iTunes present different problems.
The production has been remarkable. For Elias, this post-season Ayton is the first player in the shot clock era (since 1954-55) with 70% or best field goal percentage in any 12-game post-season. He’s made five 20-point and 10-rebound games this post-season, the most for the Suns since Amari Stoudemire in 2007.
“I’ve never played that hard from the jump ball to the end,” Eaton said. “One hundred fifty percent. Normally, like 110, but that’s 150%. And 150% mentally too. Just the level of focus and the things you really have to pay attention to. It’s really intense, man.”
The 2021 NBA playoffs will produce a new champion, with the Lakers out. None of the remaining four teams have won a title since the ABA-NBA merger in 1976.
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Eaton may not be the founding star for slot #1. He may not spend a decade creating All-Star teams or winning awards, but he is a cornerstone for the Suns. It’s an example of list building, and it fits right in with the scheme that Williams devised to support Booker, Paul, and the army of shooters circling the ocean. Eaton isn’t trying to access status or validate the location of his draft, he just wants to make Phoenix Suns better.
“He’s starting to understand that having a role doesn’t limit you,” Williams said. “Sometimes when you tell a guy it’s your turn, they tend to think I can’t do anything else. But he just has a big role.”
Cloud Draft 2018 is not affiliated with iTunes. He’s admitted in the past that he’s sensitive to perception and criticism, but he’s put it all behind his back.
“At the end of the day, we are all different players,” Eaton said of the comparisons to Doncic and Young. “I’m a seven-foot guy, a big guy, and they’re two point guards. I don’t know what you can compare. But, I play as hard as I can. This is my team. I control the best way I can for this team and try to take this team as much as I can. Other than That is, I trust my job, I trust my work ethic, I trust my profession.”
Uncompromisingly lovable, iTunes lights up every post-game availability with its sense of humor and a megawatt smile. There is endearing innocence in his answers, with refreshing honesty and humility in each answer. Describe Crowder’s pass as the actual winner of the game to see how much it has on it. He admitted he didn’t know the non-goal rule that stifled his celebration because he didn’t want to be wrong. He ignored any notion that he was playing for anything other than the success of his team. Personal authentication will come on its own.
His immersion was the first game-winner of his career, and since he credited his teammates, coaches, and everyone involved at any level of the Suns establishment, he slipped into one thing about how play was consistent, allowing himself only the slightest bit of credit.
“The coach drew a great play in which I was in the best position,” he said. “My teammates trust me and my coach trusts me.”
“The rest was from my sport. My talent.”
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