Deandre Ayton makes his return to Phoenix tonight with the Portland Trail Blazers as a visitor for the first time.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The Suns made a tribute video for their former No. 1 overall pick. Fans reacted with a mix of boos and cheers.
#Suns play a short tribute video for Deandre Ayton and fans react with a mix of boos and cheers#ComingInHot #RipCity pic.twitter.com/9q7Rzxjdfb
— Brendan Mau (@brendan_mau) November 22, 2023
However, fans booed loudly for Ayton when he was announced in the starting lineup.
#Suns fans boo when Deandre Ayton is announced in starting lineup #ComingInHot pic.twitter.com/Egy1hlvY2m
— Brendan Mau (@brendan_mau) November 22, 2023
Ayton is currently averaging a career-low 12.2 points, but has tacked on averaging 11 rebounds and 1.5 steals. The Blazers are missing some of their key players and have dropped seven straight heading into tonight’s matchup. They were most recently blown out 134-91 by the Thunder on Sunday.
Ayton had a chance to return to Phoenix this preseason, but ultimately did not end up playing in the game.
Back in high school, Ayton moved from the Bahamas to California and eventually to Hillcrest Prep in the Valley, where he became arguably the top high school player.
He then spent one year of college at Arizona, where he was named the Pac-12 Player of the Year in his lone year.
The Suns then decided to take the homegrown kid No. 1 overall in 2018, but it just did not pan out the way everyone wanted.
Ayton brought a lot of ups and downs to the Suns. He helped the Suns reach the 2021 NBA Finals. During the run had one of the best plays in team history now know as the “Valley Oop.”
Some other memorable moments from early in Ayton’s career include his All-Rookie team selection in the 2018-19 season. He then was suspended for the first 25 games of the 2019 season after testing positive for a diuretic. Ayton was also a big part of the Suns’ undefeated bubble run. Many many thought the Suns would have made the playoffs that year if he wasn’t suspended early on.
However, there were too many moments where Ayton looked out of place and not locked into the game. He signed a massive four-year, $133 million offer sheet last offseason with the Indiana Pacers, which the Suns ended up matching.
Ayton’s inconsistent play had fans calling for a trade of the big man for a while, but more so than ever after a rough end to the 2022-23 season. This was highlighted by Ayton getting benched during the team’s last playoff series against the Nuggets.
All in all, Ayton played in 303 total regular season games for Phoenix, starting 296 of them. He average 16.7 points, 10.4 rebounds and one block on 59.7% shooting across his five seasons in the Valley.
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Brendan Mau is a senior writer covering the Phoenix Suns and more for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on X via @Brendan_Mau
