It’s hard to believe we’ve already seen five seasons of play out of Deandre Ayton since becoming the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft. Since then, we’ve seen other members of that same draft class become superstars, such as annual MVP candidate Luka Doncic, but not Ayton.
While the Phoenix Suns’ paint protector has averaged a double-double each in each of his seasons, becoming one of the best centers in basketball, he’s still not held in very high regard compared to his peers. No one considers Ayton to be one of the very best at his position. Heck, he’s probably considered the fourth-best player on his team.
Ayton is still just 25 (on July 23). There’s plenty of room for growth and time to change his narrative. But right now, he’s essentially an afterthought, not only on the Suns but also as a former first-overall pick.
Yet, Ayton feels the pressure and the weight on his shoulders as a former top selection who is playing well but not quite to the level of some of his peers. He recently opened up about some of the internal struggles the 6-foot-11 center has been battling.
“I can feel the whole world hating me in a way. I’m the guy a lot of people point at and I see it and feel it, but mainly what I’ve been working on five to six days a week since we’ve lost is just motivating myself to change the narrative of what people think about me. No matter you put it, I feel like I have no fans out there and I can feel it because the whole world is saying it. My goal is over the summer is to change the narrative. Just unlock whatever it is and just completely just focus on me and change the whole thing.”
Phoenix Suns center Deandre Ayton on his internal battles
It’s a bit sad to hear Ayton say that he feels like he has “no fans” out there. That’s obviously far from the truth. But it also shows the high standard he’s set for himself. It’s clear he wants to win and feels the burden when his team doesn’t get the job done, but saying the whole world hates him? That’s just not true.
This reminds us of the discussion of ‘Would you rather be underrated or overpaid’? Ayton is on a four-year, $132.9 million contract with the Suns, earning north of $30 million a year. But from how he speaks, it almost sounds like he’d prefer to be underrated than have anyone feel like he’s not living up to his worth.
We’ll see if the narrative around Ayton can change now that the Suns have formed an even stronger super-team, at least at the top. But even if they fall short, can all the blame really be put on Ayton? He’s just one part of an entire NBA organization, and by the looks of things, he’s still playing at a very high level, even if others may be a bit better.