3 things Deandre Ayton must do to become a perennial All-Star for the Phoenix Suns

As the Phoenix Suns marched through the 2020-21 regular season and into the recently concluded NBA Finals, Deandre Ayton played an unexpectedly big role in their success.

Chris Paul was a solid, veteran point guard in the league and his caliber was never in question. Devin Booker, too, had given ample evidence in previous seasons that he was a superstar in the making, the franchise centerpiece which Phoenix had been missing for some time now. The 6-11 Ayton really surprised many inside and outside Phoenix, though.

While he was the No. 1 pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, Luka Doncic and Trae Young, from the same class as Ayton, had grabbed the spotlight from the center.

Having been suspended for 25 games after testing positive for a banned substance in his sophomore year, Deandre Ayton played 69 games for Phoenix in 2020-21. His 14.4 ppg and 10.5 rpg were a big reason behind the team catapulting to second place in the regular season. He had 33 double-doubles for Phoenix during this period and added another 14 double-doubles to this tally in the playoffs.

Ultimately, Deandre Ayton couldn’t handle the power, size and dominance of Giannis Antetokounmpo in the NBA Finals. But he gave a good account of himself on the NBA’s biggest stage. The experience he has had playing against the Bucks for the 2021 Larry O’Brien Trophy is invaluable.

But Ayton must build on this success if he wants to become a perennial All-Star in this league. His individual gain will also be good for his team. With that perspective, here are three things that Deandre Ayton must do to make the next big jump in his NBA career.

#1 Deandre Ayton must improve his scoring average to at least 22.0 ppg

The immediate question here is why 22.0 ppg and why not a more wholesome number like 25.0 ppg or 20.0 ppg? The answer to that is simple. Only one pair of teammates averaged more than 25.0 ppg in the NBA last season – both Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving averaged an identical 26.9 ppg.

With Booker averaging 25.6 ppg, it is nearly impossible that Ayton will hit a figure in that range. At the same time, for players who played at least 35 games last season, averaging 20.0 ppg would still put Ayton behind the likes of De’Aaron Fox, Malcolm Brogdon and Jerami Grant.

However, if Deandre Ayton makes the jump from scoring 14.4 ppg to 22.0 ppg, he would rank ahead of Anthony Davis, who averaged 21.8 ppg in 2020-21. And there are far more teammates with more than 22.0 ppg on the same team than the one pair who average more than 25.0 ppg. Bradley Beal and Russell Westbrook for Washington, LeBron James and Davis for the LA Lakers, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown for Boston and Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram for New Orleans all averaged more than 22.0 ppg while playing on the same team.

#2 Deandre Ayton must improve his rebounding average to 15.0 rpg

Ayton attempts a rebound during the 2021 NBA Finals

By averaging 10.5 rpg in 2020-21, Deandre Ayton was already on the verge of being a top-10 rebounding player in the league. But there is room for improvement.

Getting to 15.0 rpg would mean that Ayton would have led the league in rebounding ahead of Clint Capela, who took the numero uno position in 2020-21 with 14.3 rpg. And when there are smaller players like Westbrook (11.5 rpg), or players who average fewer minutes like Enes Kanter (11.0 rpg), who are averaging more boards, then Deandre Ayton can certainly do better.

In the last decade, only Andre Drummond (thrice), DeAndre Jordan (twice) and Kevin Love (once) have averaged 15 or more boards for an entire season. Drummond’s 2017-18 performance was the only instance when a player managed to get to 16.0 rpg.

On a closer look, no NBA player over the last decade has averaged 22.0 ppg while averaging 15 boards a season. The best showing for any NBA player on this front is by Kevin Love, who averaged 20.2 ppg and 15.2 rpg in 2010-11.

Hall-of-Famer Moses Malone is the only NBA player to have averaged more than 22.0 ppg and 15.0 rpg in a single season since the three-point line was introduced in the NBA (1979-80). Malone averaged 24.5 ppg and 15.3 rpg in 1982-83 when he led his Philadelphia 76ers to an NBA title, finished as Finals MVP and also won league MVP. Deandre Ayton would do very well for himself if he emulated Malone.

#3 Deandre Ayton must be consistent and have a ‘Winner takes all’ mentality

Ayton had trouble containing Giannis later in the Finals

In the very first playoff game of his career, Deandre Ayton put up an impressive show against the LA Lakers. He recorded 21 points and 16 rebounds, going 10-for-11 from the field, while also restricting Anthony Davis to just 13 points.

In the Western Conference semis, Ayton restricted Jokic to just 47.7% shooting from the field as compared to the 56.6% he had managed in the regular season. He averaged 16.0 ppg and 15.0 rpg in the first two games of the NBA Finals when Phoenix jumped to a 2-0 lead against Milwaukee.

But then as the Finals moved ahead, Deandre Ayton’s form dipped. He went without hitting double digit boards in Games 3 and 6. He shot only 33.3% from the field in Games 4 and 6, missing a chunk of easy scoring opportunities in those high-stakes games. Where he had zero turnovers for Phoenix in the first two games versus Milwaukee, he had eight turnovers for his team over the last four Finals games.

The NBA Playoffs and the Finals are about being mentally strong and not wilting under pressure. You have to be consistent when the arc lights are at their brightest. Deandre Ayton will have to figure this out for himself as it goes beyond number goals. He has a terrific team around him and the right skills to complement that team. If he hits these goals, both he and the Phoenix Suns will be championship winners sooner rather than later.

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