Deandre Ayton is the most criticized player on the Phoenix Suns' roster. Monday night, he showed in the Bahamian national team's 109-68 win over Cuba in an Olympic pre-qualifying tournament he is looking to silence his critics.

Ayton finished with 22 points on 10-of-14 shooting, a plus/minus of +37 and 10 rebounds in the Bahamas' victory. He spoke with reporters about what his performance meant.

“It felt amazing,” Ayton said. “It felt fun. Truly emotional feeling, just having so many Bahamian guys, so many great players just following the same goals, chasing the same goals and understanding the opportunity that we have at task, playing in Argentina, knowing that this is the big deal.”

Ayton played with fellow Suns guard Eric Gordon, who signed a two-year deal with the team in free agency. Gordon finished with 17 points on 6-of-10 shooting (2-of-3 from 3-point range), four rebounds and two assists in the win.

“Definitely lit,” Ayton said of playing with Gordon. “It's definitely something that you never thought would happen. He's such a great player as well. Just having the feel of his game before we both hit training camp and start fighting each other to figure out some type of chemistry, I'm glad we figured that out early. And just trying to make some history now to make the Olympics is truly something special.”

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Gordon insisted in his postgame interview Ayton “is going to be a threat” for the Suns in 2023-24.

“We needed to use him as much as possible and when he gets double-teamed, that's why you got guys like me who can space the floor and also give it to him whenever he needs to on the floor,” Gordon said.

Twenty-four teams will compete in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. The Bahamas have never qualified for the Olympics in history.

The team does not have a chance to qualify for the Olympics via this summer's FIBA Basketball World Cup. Bahamas must win this tournament to qualify for another Olympic qualifier in July 2024.