Suns' Deandre Ayton on Doubters: 'I Still Think They Don't Believe Yet'
For most of the first three years of his NBA career, Deandre Ayton has lived in the shadow of fellow 2018 draftees Luka Doncic and Trae Young, with some even venturing to call him a disappointment at his lowest points.
Fresh off a game-winning dunk that gave the Suns a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference Finals and in the midst of a postseason breakout, Ayton still feels the scorn from his doubters.
"I still think they doubt me. I still think they don't believe yet," Ayton told Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated. "I might be turning some heads with people that know basketball, like front-office types, and people that really know the game. I know I am probably stepping into the right direction. But I don't think the world truly, truly sees that.
"But if I can win this whole thing, that is where I can get my reputation. That is where I can be a star."
Ayton has dominated the Clippers on the interior through the first two games of the conference finals, putting up 44 points and 23 rebounds while making 22 of his 27 shots. His inside presence forced the Clippers to abandon the small-ball lineups they used in the second round against the Jazz, with Ayton taking advantage in ways All-NBA center Rudy Gobert could not.
Ayton is averaging 16.3 points and 10.8 rebounds through 12 postseason games. ESPN Stats & Info noted he is the first player of the shot-clock era to shoot better than 70 percent in the playoffs over a 12-game span.
Praise of his play is a stark contrast to mostly negative coverage of Ayton's first three NBA seasons. Whereas Doncic emerged as a perennial MVP candidate and Young revitalized basketball in Atlanta, Ayton was seen as something of a relic to the past—an interior big who gobbles up largely empty double-doubles. Media outlets were offering completely fair criticisms of Ayton even this season, as concern grew as to whether he'll ever reach All-Star potential.
"People are going to have criticisms night in and night out,” Ayton said. "But you have to know what kind of player you are. Whether they view you negatively or positively, you have to work when no one is watching. You have to bring it every day with consistency.”
If Ayton's playoff brilliance is part of a true breakout, then there's a real potential the 2018 draft class will go down as one of the strongest in recent memory. Young has been perhaps the biggest mainstream star of these playoffs with his antics taking down the Knicks and Sixers, while Doncic has face-of-the-NBA potential in Dallas.
