Deandre Ayton has forged himself in Phoenix Suns history as the youngest player with a 20-20 game.
In their dominant 121-98 victory over the New York Knicks on Thursday, Ayton put up 26 points and 21 rebounds. Ayton took the record from Earl Williams.
Deandre Ayton is easily the youngest player in @Suns history to record at least 20 points and 20 rebounds in a game (age in years-days):
21-177 Ayton
23-357 Earl Williams
24-077 Amar'e Stoudemire
24-078 Neal Walk— Justin Kubatko (@jkubatko) January 17, 2020
Ayton has been playing catch-up after serving a 25-game suspension for testing positive for a substance banned under the league’s performance-enhancing drug policy. He entered the game averaging 15.9 points, 11.1 rebounds, and 1.8 assists across 30.5 minutes.
Suns' Devin Booker Compliments Deandre Ayton
In a previous interview with Duane Rankin on the Arizona Republic, star guard Devin Booker commended Ayton for his play thus far. He even shared some of the things that Ayton can improve upon.
“He played well, man. He’s locked in,” Suns guard Devin Booker said. “He still has a lot to learn, use his body, but he played well, especially down the stretch. That shows you how much confidence we have in him to finish the game. It’s a process, man. The NBA is not easy. I’ve been there before. You just got to keep going.”
The Suns have been raising eyebrows all season long. From being a bottom-feeding team, analysts have tagged the Suns as the most exciting up-and-coming team in the West.
Head coach Monty Williams has found a way to utilize the talents of Booker, Ayton, and Kelly Oubre Jr. The leadership of Ricky Rubio, too, has been noticed.
They currently sport a 17-24 record for 11th in the West. They have won six of their last 10 games. They'll end their three-game road trip on Saturday against the Boston Celtics.
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