The Phoenix Suns were able grab Game 3 over the Denver Nuggets on Saturday, but Deandre Ayton and his mercurial relationship with Phoenix seemed on display.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!During a timeout huddle in the fourth quarter, Ayton appeared to blatantly ignore Chris Paul as Paul offered some words of encouragement. Ayton would ignore Paul twice during the timeout.
Watch DeAndre Ayton ignore Chris Paul twice in this clip
The Phoenix Suns get the W, but the vibes here are horrendous pic.twitter.com/UCzfQfTtEt
— Eric Rosenthal (@ericsports) May 6, 2023
Ayton’s relationship with the Suns is no secret. He drew question marks on his excitement of being brought back by Phoenix during media day.
As the season progressed, the seven-footer’s chemistry seemed to improve. And yet, his intensity and passion has come into question time and time again.
He responded to those notions sarcastically recently.
Now, after being benched for Jock Landale in the fourth quarter, Ayton’s curse has returned. Following Game 3, Ayton reportedly left the arena prior to being in the post conference.
Landale finished the contest with six points and nine rebounds through 22 minutes. Ayton, on the other hand, only had four points with four fouls.
The Suns’ season is far from over, but many have began to wonder what will come of Ayton’s time in Phoenix. There have been talks of potentially moving the big man.
One particular name in discussions has been acquiring superstar guard Kyrie Irving. Irving is a free agent after being traded to the Dallas Mavericks this season.
For now, Phoenix has to focus on evening the series at 2-2 on Sunday. They will need Ayton’s services on a high demand to take a commanding win.
Ayton’s counterpart in Nikola Jokić will be sure to continue his dominance. Jokić scored 30 points along with 17 rebounds and 17 assists on Saturday, recording a triple-double.
