Phoenix Suns starting center Deandre Ayton has plenty to prove. The former No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft is the most criticized player on his team's roster and is looking to “change the narrative” around him in the 2023-24 season.

Ayton said in an interview he feels like the world hates him. Suns fans were disappointed he did not play with more force in the team's Western Conference semifinal loss to the defending champion Denver Nuggets.

Ahead of his sixth season, Ayton was rated outside the top-10 centers in the NBA in a ranking of the top-125 players in the league by The Athletic. Ayton is ranked No. 12 on the list.

Ayton was a key piece of the Suns' run to the 2021 NBA Finals. He set several records, including the most times a player shot at least 80 percent from the field in the shot clock era (five).

Since then, Ayton has lacked consistency. He set a playoff career-high in points (28) during the Suns' Game 3 win over the New Orleans Pelicans in the first round of the 2022 postseason. He even scored more than 20 points seven times in that run.

In 2022-23, Ayton only eclipsed 20 points once in the playoffs. His role diminished significantly offensively once Phoenix traded for Kevin Durant.

This season, Ayton will have a new coach, Frank Vogel, who said he is looking forward to restoring Ayton to an All-Star level player.

“He's one of the best two-way centers in the game,” Vogel said.

Ayton will be a part of a Suns team that could be its best in franchise history with Durant and guards Devin Booker and Bradley Beal.