<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/LaMelo-Ball-Hornets-Deandre-Ayton-Suns.jpg"></figure><h1>Video: LaMelo Ball shows off killer handles, zips past Deandre Ayton for clutch dunk</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-02-24T21:05:52-08:00">February 24th, 9:05pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-02-24T21:05:52-08:00">February 24th, 9:05pm</time><address><a>Virgil Villanueva</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball proved that passing and supreme vision are inherent parts of his offensive arsenal. Against Phoenix Suns big man Deandre Ayton on Wednesday, Ball showed off his sick handles and finished the play with a slam dunk.</p><p>Not only did he get by Ayton, but Ball had the presence of mind to throw it down after seeing the Suns defense out of place.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">SIT BACK AND ENJOY THE SHOW! </p><p>😎😎😎<a href="https://twitter.com/MELOD1P?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">@MELOD1P</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hornets?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">@hornets</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AllFly?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">#AllFly</a> <a href="https://t.co/88KnTMjgTR" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/88KnTMjgTR</a></p><p>— FOX Sports: Hornets (@HornetsOnFSSE) <a href="https://twitter.com/HornetsOnFSSE/status/1364792000118222850?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">February 25, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Ball’s moves weren’t just for the highlight reel. The Hornets needed the basket in a close duel as the game entered the final two minutes. Fortunately, they held on for the victory, 124-121. Ball finished with 20 points, four rebounds, and eight assists. Six other Hornets scored in double digits.</p><p>The 19-year-old Ball is <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/warriors-drape-lamelo-ball-with-praise/">proving that the hype is real</a> and he is one heck of a player. Before their game against the Suns, he’s averaging <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/b/ballla01.html">14.6 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 6.1 assists</a>. The Hornets have a decent 15-16 record despite a string of injuries to key players. Note that they won just 23 games in last year’s shortened season.</p><p>If all goes well, then LaMelo Ball and the Hornets have a chance to make it to the NBA Playoffs for the first time since the 2015-16 season. If not, then the season can still be tagged as an important step in their development.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Video: LaMelo Ball shows off killer handles, zips past Deandre Ayton for clutch dunk

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Deandre-Ayton-Suns.jpg"></figure><h1>Suns center Deandre Ayton’s amazing reaction to being asked if he was a DPOY candidate</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-02-23T06:39:07-08:00">February 23rd, 6:39am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-02-23T06:39:43-08:00">February 23rd, 6:39am</time><address><a>Jeremy Chua</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Phoenix Suns center Deandre Ayton is not yet a candidate for this season’s Defensive Player of the Year award, at least from his own eyes. The 22-year-old big man was apparently surprised when he was asked if he thinks he is performing well enough to be in the conversation for the honor, via <a href="https://twitter.com/GeraldBourguet/status/1364075897582538757?s=20">Gerald Bourguet</a>.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Deandre Ayton was asked if he's a Defensive Player of the Year candidate. Said he's not sure, that's the first time he's ever been asked that, but his initial response was, "Ahh, you gave me goosebumps."</p><p>— Gerald Bourguet (@GeraldBourguet) <a href="https://twitter.com/GeraldBourguet/status/1364075897582538757?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">February 23, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Ayton has been the starting center for the Suns ever since he was picked first overall in the 2018 NBA Draft that also featured Luka Doncic and Trae Young. His averages this season may have dipped from the previous years but the impact that he makes on defense goes beyond the numbers on the stat sheet.</p><p>The Bohemian native is currently averaging 1.1 blocks through 30 contests, seeing himself outside of the top five under the category this season. Clint Capela of the Atlanta Hawks is currently leading the pack with an average of 3.5 rejections per game, followed by the two-time DPOY winner in Utah Jazz big man Rudy Gobert with 2.8 blocks per outing.</p><p>Overall, Gobert and the reigning DPOY awardee in Milwaukee Bucks star <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/giannis-antetokounmpo-compared-to-steve-nash-by-kings-coach-luke-walton/">Giannis Antetokounmpo</a> are both currently headlining this season’s race for the honor. Ben Simmons, Myles Turner, and Anthony Davis are also in the conversation as well.</p><p>With tight competition, it will certainly be hard for Ayton to outperform his opponents who are all playing at a high level. Luckily for him, there are still many games left to be played and Deandre Ayton can manage to make a case for himself if he can further improve his level of play as the season progresses.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Suns center Deandre Ayton’s amazing reaction to being asked if he was a DPOY candidate

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/suns-news-deandre-ayton-reveals-all-star-player-he-loves-playing-against.jpg"></figure><h1>Suns’ Deandre Ayton reveals All-Star player he loves playing against</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-02-09T06:11:57-08:00">February 9th, 6:11am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-02-09T06:12:25-08:00">February 9th, 6:12am</time><address><a>Jeremy Chua</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Phoenix Suns center Deandre Ayton didn’t shy away from the competition as his team gutted out a win against a gritty Cleveland Cavaliers side on Monday night. After engaging in a tightly contested affair, Ayton claimed that he liked the game’s physicality, especially after going up against an All-Star-caliber big man in Andre Drummond, via <a href="https://twitter.com/KellanOlson/status/1359001029577084930">Kellan Olson of Arizona Sports</a>.</p><p>On Monday night, neither team refused to give in as the two sides went at it all throughout the game. The Suns eventually rallied to overcome their opponent after hitting key baskets in crunch time. Cameron Johnson’s 3-pointer with just over two minutes to go put Phoenix ahead for good, and Mikal Bridges salted the game away at the line with four consecutive free throws to finish with 22 points.</p><p>Devin Booker had another huge performance by tallying 36 points on 5-of-9 from beyond the arc to along with five rebounds and eight assists, stepping up in a big way with Chris Paul <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/suns-news-chris-paul-misses-first-game-of-the-season-on-monday/" rel="noopener">out.</a> Ayton impressed in his matchup against Drummond with 15 points and 16 rebounds. Drummond produced 15 points and 14 rebounds of his own in the heavyweight battle.</p><p>The victory stretched the Suns’ winning streak to three and lifted them to a 14-9 record for the fourth spot in the Western Conference. Meanwhile, the Cavs dropped back to 10-15 for the 10th spot in the Eastern Conference. Cleveland has lost four games in a row and is falling hard after a surprise start to the season.</p><p>Deandre Ayton will certainly have another tough time in the paint when they host Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks on Feb. 10, but it sounds like he’ll be ready for the challenge.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Suns’ Deandre Ayton reveals All-Star player he loves playing against

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Chris-Paul-Deandre-Ayton-Suns.jpg"></figure><h1>Chris Paul, Deandre Ayton looking to recreate lob city magic</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-01-31T05:38:47-08:00">January 31st, 5:38am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-01-31T05:38:47-08:00">January 31st, 5:38am</time><address><a>Skyler Carlin</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>When the Pheonix Suns <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/suns-news-phoenix-finalizing-blockbuster-trade-thunder-star-chris-paul/">traded</a> for Chris Paul during the offseason, many believed his arrival would help the development of Deandre Ayton. While Ayton is still improving his chemistry with Paul, he’s been <a href="https://twitter.com/GeraldBourguet/status/1355746117485387779?s=20">watching film on the ‘Lob City’ duo</a> of DeAndre Jordan and Blake Griffin, via FanSided’s Gerald Bourguet.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Ayton says he's been watching film of DeAndre Jordan and Blake Griffin from their Lob City days with Chris Paul to build on his chemistry with CP3</p><p>— Gerald Bourguet (@GeraldBourguet) <a href="https://twitter.com/GeraldBourguet/status/1355746117485387779?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">January 31, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Ayton, who is in his third season with the Suns, is expected to begin making the leap toward being one of the best centers in the NBA. However, the Arizona product has gotten off to a slow start this season on the offensive end of the court.</p><p>Through his first 18 games of the season, Ayton has accounted for a career-low of 14.4 points per game while also contributing a career-best 12.6 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game. Despite the slow start from Ayton to begin the season, Paul believes he and Ayton are <a href="https://twitter.com/GeraldBourguet/status/1355741135658881026?s=20">getting close</a> to where they want to be in their chemistry on the floor.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">"It's getting there" – Chris Paul on his chemistry with Deandre Ayton in the two-man game</p><p>— Gerald Bourguet (@GeraldBourguet) <a href="https://twitter.com/GeraldBourguet/status/1355741135658881026?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">January 31, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>When Paul was with the Los Angeles Clippers earlier in his career, he created a memorable trio with Jordan and Griffin. The Clippers would constantly run pick-and-rolls with Paul, allowing him to throw lobs to Jordan and Griffin.</p><p>While Ayton doesn’t necessarily have the athleticism of Jordan or Griffin, he likely is watching them to get more of a feel of where he should be on certain plays. Once Ayton begins taking that next step in his development with the Suns, Phoenix could become a team that is ready to make some noise in the competitive Western Conference.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Chris Paul, Deandre Ayton looking to recreate lob city magic

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/DeAndre-Ayton-Damian-Jones-Suns.png"></figure><h1>Suns add depth behind Deandre Ayton with Damian Jones deal</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2020-11-22T11:09:27-08:00">November 22nd, 11:09am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2020-11-22T11:09:27-08:00">November 22nd, 11:09am</time><address><a>Immanuel Canicosa</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Phoenix Suns continue to make moves in the offseason, this time improving their frontcourt by adding another free agent. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports that free agent center Damian Jones has agreed to a two-year deal to join the Suns after spending last season with the Atlanta Hawks.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Free agent C Damian Jones has agreed to a two-year deal with the Phoenix Suns, sources tell ESPN.</p><p>— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) <a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1330577043055063045?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">November 22, 2020</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Jones, a former <a href="https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/damian-jones-1.html">Vanderbilt product</a>, joins big man Deandre Ayton in the frontcourt of a Suns team that is looking to return to the playoffs after a decade. Phoenix improved its front court with the addition of forward Jae Crowder from the Miami Heat, who the team signed to a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/suns-news-jae-crowder-agrees-to-3-year-deal-with-phoenix/">three-year that is worth almost $30 million</a>, and the addition of power forward Jalen Smith, who the team selected with the 10th overall pick out of Maryland in the 2020 NBA Draft.</p><p>Now, the addition of Damian Jones gives head coach Monty Williams a backup big man to Deandre Ayton, the first overall pick of the 2018 Draft. In his lone season in Atlanta, Jones played 55 games and started 27 games for the Hawks, averaging 5.6 points and 3.7 rebounds in 16.1 minutes while shooting 68% from the field.</p><p>The 25-year old Damian Jones, who was drafted by the Warriors in the first round with the 30th overall pick in the 2016 Draft, played three seasons in the Bay Area, winning two championships in 2017 and 2018, before joining the Hawks last season.</p><p>Now with the Suns, he will play next to Ayton and could see himself returning to the playoffs with the Suns pairing All-Star Chris Paul, acquired in a trade with the Oklahoma City Thunder, with their own All-Star in Devin Booker.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Suns add depth behind Deandre Ayton with Damian Jones deal

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist

Coby White

Hamidou Diallo

Marcus Morris

Deandre Ayton

Zion Williamson

Jordan Bell

Jeff Green

Derrick Jones Jr.

Miles Bridges

2018-19 All-Rookie

Phoenix Suns

Career

https://twitter.com/DeandreAyton/status/1364094660205891584/

https://twitter.com/DeandreAyton/status/1364024994569674756/

https://twitter.com/DeandreAyton/status/1363193354939424770/

https://twitter.com/DeandreAyton/status/1362923315485175809/

https://twitter.com/DeandreAyton/status/1359747567420985355/

https://twitter.com/DeandreAyton/status/1359210138633072640/

Don’t need no steppa, I’m steppin. 😤 

https://twitter.com/DeandreAyton/status/1358447826238197766/

Let’s get it 😤 

Can’t wait to see our #Suns fans! 

https://twitter.com/DeandreAyton/status/1356476538284310537/

2020-21 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
14.0	11.8	1.7	1.1	0.3

2020-21 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
14.0	11.8	1.7	1.1	0.3

Deandre
Ayton

Video: LaMelo Ball shows off killer handles, zips past Deandre Ayton for clutch dunk

Suns center Deandre Ayton’s amazing reaction to being asked if he was a DPOY candidate...

Suns’ Deandre Ayton reveals All-Star player he loves playing against...

Chris Paul, Deandre Ayton looking to recreate lob city magic

Suns add depth behind Deandre Ayton with Damian Jones deal