Phoenix Suns center Deandre Ayton was hit with a 25-game suspension by the NBA this week due to violation of the banned substance policy, and head coach Monty Williams is finally responding to the impactful loss.
Per The Athletic's Gina Mizell on Twitter, Williams told the media on Friday that it's his “responsibility” to have the team prepared in spite of the Ayton news.
“I’m fine. We’re fine…anytime you’re dealing with stuff like that, you’re concerned about the person involved. My responsibility as a coach is to get our team prepared and move us forward every single day.
“When stuff comes up, you learn how to deal with it. That’s the way I was taught. I’ve been through an awful lot. Some stuff is new, but it’s still stuff. And you just learn that, as a head coach, you have to be ready for unexpected stuff, and that’s what this is.
“I will say that he was contrite. He had a level of remorse that he feels like he let people down, and that’s a natural reaction for anybody in that situation.
“You don’t diminish what happened with a game, but at the same time, I have a job to do and I have to do it well…We have some adversity right here in front of us, and we have to deal with it well. We’ve got to do it together. And we’ll be better for it.”
Ayton will be a tremendous loss for Phoenix, a franchise looking for answers after several down seasons this decade. The Suns had selected the Arizona Wildcat big man with the first overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. He averaged 16.3 points and 10.3 rebounds per game for the Suns in his first professional season, earning first-team All-Rookie honors, too.
Backup centers for the Suns include former Charlotte Hornet lottery selection Frank Kaminsky, who signed with the Suns in the offseason, and former Boston Celtics big man Aron Baynes, acquired via a draft night trade.
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