Deandre Ayton on Suns' Recent Success: 'It Is Us Against the World'
The Phoenix Suns have the worst record in the Western Conference but have dug themselves out of a hole of late, winning five of their last seven games.
Deandre Ayton, the No. 1 overall pick in this year's draft, said the 9-26 team's mindset has played a large part in their recent turnaround. Per Alex Kennedy of Hoopshype, he said:
"Losing is personal. It hurts. The media we have today, the way they treat our organization, we just really try to block them out. It is us against the world. [When we think like that], it is more of an edge and we play more as a unit. We use that negative energy people are throwing at us against them… Our arena will be lit for the rest of the season, because we’re not trying to stop [winning] anytime soon. We are on the rise."
Ayton had a streak of four straight 20-10 performances snapped in Wednesday's win over the Orlando Magic. He and Devin Booker have been the offensive fulcrums during the recent strong stretch.
Ayton and Booker have also been complimentary of Kelly Oubre Jr., who has played well since being traded to Phoenix as part of a deal that sent Trevor Ariza to the Washington Wizards. Oubre is averaging 14.8 points and 3.8 rebounds off the bench with the Suns.
The Arizona product said of Oubre:
"He has been playing super hard. He is matching the same energy I have, that we all have. It is beautiful. He fits right in. You can tell he wants to win and he tries his best on defense as well. He is [getting] on me already! I don't know how long he's been here and he's telling me to be more accountable and to just to take things more personally. I like that."
The Suns do have a promising young core on paper but not necessarily a winning one. Ayton, Booker, Oubre, T.J. Warren, Josh Jackson, Mikal Bridges, Elie Okobo and De'Anthony Melton are all young players who should develop into something better than their current levels.
That said, decisions are already going to be coming. Oubre's a restricted free agent this summer. If the Suns want to re-sign him, that does not bode well for the future of Jackson, the No. 4 overall pick in the 2017 draft, as a long-term piece. Warren's four-year, $50 million extension kicked in this season. There's a sense of urgency here for a team that's one game out of the NBA basement and still has no idea what it can become.
