Phoenix Suns big man Deandre Ayton had another memorable campaign for his team last season. The 22-year-old has clearly been making strides in his development, and as it turns out, he's been drawing mentorship from a rather unlikely source.
This comes in the form of none other than Frank Kaminsky. The 7-foot center is not exactly the most tested veteran around, but he's been more than willing to impart whatever knowledge he has to his younger teammate:
“I feel like I’m one of the older guys on the team, which is really weird because we have a really young team,” Kaminsky told Arizona Sports’ Doug & Wolf on Wednesday (h/t Tyler Drake of Arizona Sports). “As far as Deandre, I just try to keep his head in the right place. I try to give him advice. Things that I learned, things that I know.”
Kaminsky is just 27 and is entering his sixth season in the league next term. The Suns' bench big is no grizzled vet, but he's been around long enough to understand what it takes to succeed in the NBA.
“When you’ve been in the league for five years you’re able to start to see things from a different perspective,” Kaminsky said. “When you’re young and all you think about is basketball, basketball, basketball. … He’s learning so much and I feel like I have an opportunity to pass on some of my advice to him and hopefully keep him on the right path.”
Kaminsky signed with the Suns as a free agent last summer. He is now entering the final year of his two-season deal, and it remains to be seen if his future lies in Phoenix. For the time being, though, he's doing everything he can to aid in the development of the highly-promising Ayton.