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Deandre Ayton experienced perhaps the greatest moment of his young career after he put down the wild game-winning alley-oop dunk to propel the Phoenix Suns to a 2-0 series lead over the Los Angeles Clippers in the Western Conference Finals. The 2018 no. 1 overall pick is undoubtedly in the midst of a gigantic leap in the 2021 NBA playoffs. Ayton has taken his game to the next level and has been a force in the middle for the Suns in their 2021 postseason run.
It's crazy to think that just around 20 months ago, the 22-year old took such a huge blow to what could have been a massive sophomore campaign. After going for 18 points, 11 rebounds, and four blocks in their 2019-20 season opener, the league suspended Deandre Ayton for 25 games after he tested positive for a banned substance. The NBA reportedly found a diuretic in Ayton's system and this was in violation of the NBA-NBPA’s anti-drug policy. Ayton tried to appeal to the league, but ultimately, he ended up serving the entire 25-game penalty.
The Arizona stud's suspension placed a huge dent on the Suns season. They were looking to finally trend up after a decade of mediocrity, with the last few years being spent in the bottom of the West standings. Phoenix went 11-14 without their sophomore big man. Nevertheless, with the suspension behind him, the 6-foot-11 center returned and had a solid second year overall. Ayton averaged 18.2 points and 11.5 rebounds in 38 games.
The Suns may have come up short of making the postseason last year. Still, Pheonix undoubtedly took a step in the right direction after going an impressive 8-0 in the Orlando bubble. In fact, it's conceivable to believe that the Suns could have made the playoffs in 2020 had Ayton not been suspended to begin the year. Nonetheless, everything happened for a reason and their bubble experience planted the seeds to what eventually turned into a magical 2020-21 season for them.
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For Deandre Ayton, personally, he has come a long way as well. Of course, he, as well as the entire Suns team, didn't get to this point without the help of some invaluable veteran leadership. Chris Paul's arrival to Phoenix this past offseason has worked wonders for them. The 36-year old has instilled in this young squad the mentality and character they need to be a winning team. Ayton has also repeatedly credited Paul for his growth and development this season.
So far, that has been on full display in these Western Conference Finals. Despite not having CP3 in the first two games of this series after he tested positive for COVID-19, the Suns protected their home floor. Ayton has been an absolute stud so far and the game-winning dunk is undoubtedly the biggest highlight of his career so far.
Deandre Ayton also heard criticisms for his defense in his rookie campaign, which is often a struggle that young NBA big men go through. Despite the dent that the 25-game suspension put into his second season, Ayton still made a jump for them defensively, which gave Suns fans hope that he could become a two-way force for them in the future. Fast-forward to these 2021 NBA playoffs, Ayton has become such for the Suns as he embraced being Phoenix's defensive anchor this year.
The 6-foot-11 center has also heard the noise of how he shouldn't have been the top pick in his class. The immediate rise of Luka Doncic and Trae Young into franchise superstars has made Ayton fly under-the-radar a bit. His numbers may not be as crazy as the numbers that Luka and Trae have put in their first three years. But with his emergence as a legitimate interior force for the Suns, especially in these playoffs, it's hard to argue that Phoenix made the wrong choice by going with the home state kid.
From early career criticisms, to a 25-game suspension that could have been brutal for his sophomore season development, to slowly developing and showing strides within the season, and now to being a legitimate stud for a Suns team that is two wins away from the NBA Finals, this has been quite the rise for Deandre Ayton.
