Suns Center Deandre Ayton off to Strong Start

Phoenix Suns center Deandre Ayton is off to a blazing hot start in the first two games of the season.

Author:
Remy Mastey
Oct 23, 2022 6:13 PM EDT

In this story:

Phoenix Suns

We are only two games into the season, but Phoenix Suns center Deandre Ayton is already flexing his potential in what could be the rest of the way.

Despite a messy offseason for Ayton and the Suns, Ayton came into training camp looking for a clean slate and ready to ball out in the Valley.

In the season opener on Wednesday, Ayton was dominant out of the gate and finished with 18 points, 10 rebounds and two assists. It was not only his numbers that were impressive but he worked well with Devin Booker and Chris Paul in the pick-and-roll.

“It is something we have talked about in the past,” Booker said after the win against the Dallas Mavericks.

“Just being in that short pocket and for him to be a dominant post-up mid-range big, I think that is the next step he can take to his game is playmaking. Especially when a lot of the attention is on me and Chris (Paul), he is usually around that free throw line being the first person you throw to out of the double. It is usually three-on-two or four-on-three on the back side.”

While the Suns have gone through their ups and downs over the past two games, Ayton has anchored himself as a consistent piece, dominating the post on both sides of the court.

In the Suns' second game of the year against the Portland Trail Blazers, Ayton put up a strong 26 points, six rebounds and three assists.

The most impressive part about Ayton’s stat line is his incredible efficiency from the field. On opening night, Ayton shot a whopping 72.7% field goal percentage while shooting 54.5% FG on Friday.

If Ayton can unlock a couple more pieces to his game, he can truly become one of the most lethal players in the NBA.

“For him to be a dominant post-up big, midrange big, I think that’s the next step he can take to his game — his playmaking,” said Booker.

“Especially when a lot of attention is on me and Chris [Paul]. He’s usually around that free throw line being the first person you throw it to out of the double and it’s usually 3-on-2 or 4-on-3 on the back side.”

The sky's the limit for Ayton this season, as Suns fans have a lot to look forward to.

He'll have another opportunity to do that when the Suns visit the Los Angeles Clippers tonight.

Thank you for making Inside The Suns your destination for Phoenix Suns news. Please be sure to give us a like on Facebook, subscribe to us on YouTube and follow us on Twitter @InsideTheSunsFN for news, updates, analysis and more!