It’s time for Ayton to show his presence.
Phoenix, who easily beat the Clippers in the first round of the playoffs and advanced to the second round, met Denver, the first seed in the Western Conference, and is behind in the series with 1 win and 2 losses in the third game.
The one-two punch of Kevin Durant and Devin Booker, the duo with the highest average score in this playoff, is leading the team offense brilliantly.
However, the flow is not very good as the starting point guard Chris Paul was confirmed to miss the 4th game following the 3rd game due to a groin injury sustained in the 2nd game.
Now that it is difficult to turn a normal rotation due to Paul’s departure, Phoenix desperately needs a player’s performance. That’s the team’s starting big man DeAndre Ayton.
Picked up by Phoenix with the 1st overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, Ayton has grown into a starter after his pro debut. He signed a four-year, $133 million Max contract with Phoenix in the summer of 2022 and remained with the team, averaging 18.0 points and 10.0 rebounds this season.
However, once the playoffs hit, Ayton’s value plummeted. Ayton’s weakness, which had already caused trouble in the last playoffs, such as leaving the field without conducting interviews when his playing time decreased, is also working as Phoenix’s Achilles’ heel in this playoff.
First of all, the influence on the court is not satisfactory at all. Ayton, who is averaging just 10.7 points in three games in the second round against Denver, is struggling in a matchup with Nicola Jokic, the league’s best big man.
In the end,카지노사이트 coach Monty Williams began to gradually increase the playing time of Joke Randale instead of Ayton to reverse the atmosphere, but when Randale performed more than expected in the defense and rebound fight, he put Randale on the court instead of Ayton during the clutch time of the last game 3. The decision to send out kept the victory.
Then, Ayton again started making trouble that broke the team chemistry. After showing a bit of a nervous reaction, including twice refusing to shake his veteran teammate Paul’s hand, he exited the locker room first before the interview began after the third game.
Phoenix will be pushed to the edge of the cliff if it does not catch the 4th game at home on the 8th. It’s time for Ayton to make his mark with his dedication to his team.