Former Arizona Wildcat and No.1 Draft pick of 2018, Deandre Ayton, had one of the most dominant seasons as a Wildcat rookie in recent memory, find out why.
Dominance. That’s the best way to describe Deandre Ayton’s NBA Rookie season with the Phoenix Suns. Expectations were high for the seven footer out of Nassau. He didn’t carry the team into the playoffs this season, as the Suns had the second to worst record in the NBA. He did though set the foundation for great things to come for this organization in the next several years.
Ayton set many records this years. including becoming the third quickest Suns player to score 1000 points in a single season. Out of the 71 games he played, Ayton scored in double digit points in 61 of those. The one stat that stands out more then anything are double doubles. He had 39! Ayton of course led all rookies in that categories and finished 12th overall in the NBA.
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For the season, he averaged 16.3 points per game (fourth among all rookies), 10.3 rebounds per game (lead all rookies) and 1.8 assists per game. He only averaged less then a block a game, which is surprising, but will increase as his career goes on. Ayton shot 58.5% from the field and 74.6% from the free throw line. He also lead all rookies with an efficiency rating of 22.6.
Ayton will most likely not win the NBA Rookie of the Year award because of a combination of factors including the Suns overall record. Plus, the play of other top rookies, Luka Doncic and Trae Young, will impact his chances. Ayton will be part of the NBA All-Rookie team, no doubt about that.
Even though the Suns didn’t have a winning season, their are many things Ayton learned about himself and his teammates this season:
"My rookie season..."
— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) April 10, 2019
Hear from @DeandreAyton on his first year in the league! pic.twitter.com/w3Ggju1ISV
The one factor that doesn’t get enough attention is his personality. How can you not like this guy?! How he handles and interacts with the media, before and after the game, is great. To think he is only 20 years of age, his level of maturity is quite amazing. Would be very easy for someone, who is so used to winning, to react in a much more negative way on team that lost 63 games. He didn’t though. He understands the context of the situation and will look to get stronger next season.
Another part of his overall game that standout is his movement. How he able to run up and down the floor, set screens, move without the ball is impressive for a seven footer. Defense was his only weakness, but that will come with time as Ayton will continue to get stronger in that area of his game.
This season he provided fans with many exciting moments. From alley-oops, to floaters and fade away jumps, blocks, Ayton showed why he will go down as one of the greats to play the game of basketball.
At Zona Zealots, we would like to congratulate Deandre Ayton on a dominant NBA Rookie season. He dominated his time at Arizona and has just started to dominate his time with the Suns. Bear Down Deandre and Bear Down Arizona!