[ropeParticipant]

 With the physical attributes that Ayton has and his polished skills on offense, what is your theory on why he sucks so bad on defense?  I haven’t seen him other than highlights, so they don’t really feature him getting torched.

I do watch the Pistons a lot and one of my theories with Drummond, another notorius matador big, is that he spends all his thought on getting rebounding position as plays develop.  The idea of chipping in before the shot goes up is appears to be an afterthought.  

What’s Ayton’s deal, if you have had a chance to watch him.

 

 

[Dazzling Dunks and Basketball BloopersParticipant]

I see two major issues with ayton defensively, and they sort of go hand in hand. The first problem is that his instincts are terrible on that end of the floor. He has the physical attributes to be a solid rim protector, but he is rarely in position. He takes poor angles and gets lost in rotations. Some of this can be corrected over time with experience and teaching, but there is just a certain feel for the game on the defensive side of the ball that is severely lacking right now.

The other problem is that while he has good downhill speed for a player his size, he is somewhat clumsy and appears to have heavy feet making it hard for him to change directions.  He plays way too straight up and is rarely in a good defensive stance. When a shifty guard attacks him going downhill, he is usually toast. 

There are some things he could definitely work on, and the coaching staff could definitely tailor their defensive strategy to protect him a little more. Overall though, he didn’t project as a strong defender coming into the league and I have serious doubts that he will ever develop into one.

 

[mowestenParticipant]

 There’s a third issue which is his motor doesn’t always run hot. You can be that way at the offensive end and it’s not always hurt your team, but defensively if you’re taking possessions off and napping, the opposing team might find you.

We’re kinda nitpicking here for such a young guy, but eventually, no matter how good you become, you’re judged not on what you do, but whether what you’re doing is helping a team be successful.

Five years from now, if Ayton is playing for a non-playoff team, this is what people are going to be pointing to as they nitpick.

 

 

[MopgrassParticipant]

I’m sure the Suns can wait until next year to work on his defense… after they snag the 1st pick (with a little luck). That way, at least their future PF would protect the middle. 

[The GoatParticipant]

 The Suns have major issues if they plan to have Ayton, Warren and Booker starting for the next 10 years as the three of them can’t defend anyone. 

[BallerScriptParticipant]

I think thats why they drafted Jackson
Even though JJ hasn’t panned out so far, it looks like their future plan is to run TJ off the bench as a spark plug

[cominup7Participant]

 I got negged to pieces when I talked pre-draft about Ayton not having true two-way superstar ability like an AD. He coasts during games, he’s athletic but stiff (if that makes any sense) and his focus is solely on scoring and rebounding and not the little things that win games.

 But the Suns drafted him to be a 20-10 scorer from the jump and he’ll easily get that for a majority of his career, but he has to become a dominant defender to make a major impact in the W-L column for this team, unless they can find him a defensive minded partner to pair with

[Author]

Posts