The Phoenix Suns were dismantled in front of their home crowd by the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night. It appears center Deandre Ayton feels he should shoulder the blame for this loss.

Ayton endured perhaps his worst performance of the 2018-19 NBA season. According to Duane Ranking of AZ Central, he pinned this loss on himself:

“Overall, I give myself an F-minus. This was a bad game. I definitely put this loss on me. I just wasn't locked in. I don't know what's happening. The shots I took were pretty bad. This is definitely the worst game I've ever played.”

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It is encouraging to see the rookie hold himself accountable. There are high expectations that come with being a No. 1 overall pick. It is clear that Ayton is well-aware of that following his disastrous outing.

Ayton finished the game with just two points on 1-of-9 shooting to go with nine rebounds in 33 minutes. The rookie simply could not get anything going all game and it contributed to the scoring droughts Phoenix experienced throughout the match. Although he managed to make a bit of an impact on the defensive end with two steals and a block, the Suns have come to rely heavily on his 16.3 points per game average.

It should be noted that Ayton was matched up with one of the NBA's premier defenders in center Rudy Gobert. Even the most skilled big men in the league have trouble trying to score on Gobert. Regardless, Ayton will need to find a way to make it happen if he hopes to follow through on the hype of his draft position.