The Phoenix Suns should be thrilled with the progression of Deandre Ayton, whom they selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft over Luka Doncic.

Ayton has steadily improved in his two seasons in the league, and he helped spearhead the team's 8-0 near-playoff run in the restart. He's a skilled player with an impressive 6-foot-11, 250-pound frame who played college ball nearby at the University of Arizona. After averaging a double-double his first season (16.3 PPG, 10.3 RPG), Ayton upped those rookie numbers to 18.2 points and 11.5 rebounds per game in 2019-20.

Still, performances like Doncic's 43-point, 17-rebound, 13-assist masterpiece on Monday — capped off by an instantly iconic step-back buzzer-beater  — has to make Suns fans queasy. Doncic beat out Ayton for Rookie of the Year in 2019, and, at 21, has already ascended to superstardom.

Ayton's allure was understandable, but Phoenix's decision to pass on Doncic was still head-scratching, especially after they hired Doncic's EuroBasket-winning head coach, Igor Kokoskov, one month before the draft (Kokoskov was fired after one season).

To the surprise of absolutely no one who has followed the Robert Sarver-era Suns, it turns out that some behind-the-scenes dysfunction may have led to the Suns opting for Ayton over the kid who won the 2018 EuroLeague title, season MVP, and Final Four MVP at 18.

According to Dan Bickley at ArizonaSports.com, the Suns owner made personal arrangements to scout Doncic in the EuroLeague Final Four after the Suns won the 2018 NBA Draft Lottery, but didn't loop in then-GM Ryan McDonough. In other words, Sarver seized control of the franchise's draft process.

In a recent podcast appearance, McDonough seemed to hint that things might have gone differently if he had scouted Doncic in person. Sarver has a different view of the situation, claiming he never interfered with McDonough's autonomy on draft day and noting the former GM could have scouted Doncic on his own, at any time.

The differing views of the situation provide an illustration of the organizational disconnect that influenced the draft room. Kokoskov hinted that his voice in the draft discussion may have been limited in an interview with a Croatian website:

“Unfortunately, I can’t answer this question because of the professional code,” he said. “But since you asked me, all I’ll say is that I’m sleeping peacefully and carefree.”

Of course, the Sacramento Kings — perhaps less forgivably, no offense to the talented but oft-injured Marvin Bagley III — passed on Doncic at no. 2, and the Atlanta Hawks traded the Slovenian superstar for Trae Young on draft night.