r/nba • u/foofighter1351 Raptors • 5h ago
Deandre Ayton ponders who number 7 on the Washington Wizards is
https://streamable.com/i3vf0s734
u/Mamadi-Diakite Bucks 5h ago
The Wizards posted this themselves lol
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u/foofighter1351 Raptors 4h ago
Tbf I don't think anybody is under the impression Ayton is longterm might as well get some content outta em
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u/SnottyPippen-33 Celtics 4h ago
NBA Jameis Winston
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u/klutzers Wizards 56m ago
thats jameis slander, my goat knows all his teammates and their favorite colors by heart
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u/jesstault Suns 3h ago
Carrington’s soul leaves his body after he hears DA’s question. Amaze amaze amaze
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u/SCSA4life24 Lakers 5h ago
As long as DA isn’t asked to catch lobs, defend, block shots, or rotate, he’ll do great on the Wizards.
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u/mpaski Spurs 4h ago
I agree. He's not very good on ball or off ball on offense. He gets lost on defense so as long as he can avoid those mistakes he'll be fine
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u/WartimeConsigliere_ Pacers 4h ago
He’s much better in situations where other players are involved in play
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u/Ok_Turn6757 Lakers 4h ago
He maximises his impact by sitting on the bench and letting others make plays in his place
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u/bigboybeeperbelly Spurs 4h ago
We actually have very similar skill sets, despite the height difference
I could probably take over his duties and salary and the team wouldn't even notice
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u/dinosaurdelight Suns 4h ago
As long as the Wiz need their center to shoot thirty 16 foot fadeaways a game he'll fit right in.
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u/bullionlogic Cavaliers 4h ago
replace "on ball" with "at excel" , "off ball on offense" with "computers at all really" and then "on defense" with "on teams calls" and you just nailed my most recent performance review at work!
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u/jono9898 Lakers 4h ago
So basically as long as Ayton doesn’t play basketball he’s a great basketball player?
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u/secretsodapop 4h ago
He was great as a draft pick.
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u/ForneauCosmique Spurs 4h ago
The way he walked up to the stage to shake Silver's hand was really impressive
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u/jono9898 Lakers 2h ago
Since he was drafted, he is easily top ten centers in the league, when it comes to handshakes
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u/Professional-Rub152 4h ago
Fortunately for him, he won’t be starting so he’ll only have to perform in limited minutes against second units.
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u/JonasAlbert84 Lakers 4h ago
We're free. The curse has been passed to another.
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u/fenikz13 [PHO] Steve Nash 4h ago
Oh no he bobbled it and missed the opportunity for an easy dunk and now he is settling for a spinning fade away floater off the glass???
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u/Suns_In_420 Suns 57m ago
You guys told us he was fine because he had a small contract…
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u/LakerBlue Lakers 51m ago
And that’s correct. Parent comment is being hyperbolic. Don’t get me wrong, Ayton has a LOT of issues but he was unquestionably superior to our back-up center rotation of Koloko, Jemison III and Alex Len. He can move his feet at times and is a fairly consistent rebounder. I would not want him as a back-up on a winning team but we Lakers fans saw first hand what worse looked like.
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u/JonasAlbert84 Lakers 56m ago
Shit not me. I'm also a Blazer fan and I was telling the Lakers sub it wasn't gonna pan out.
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u/lialialia20 Timberwolves 4h ago
lakers passing on the big man with a curse to another team, a bit of a tradition at this point
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u/FoundationSmooth9777 2h ago
Ayton saved ur organizations season
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u/Goblin_Person 1h ago
I agree. He wasn't ideal, but for 8 million a year he was a solid center where the Lakers had no other options. If they had had him the year before they might actually have competed against Minnesota. He was a bit of a pouty headcase locker room cancer but it was only the first season so it hadn't gotten bad and Jaxson Hayes wasn't good enough to really give him starter competition.
If they had had to give him 30+ million, and then attach picks to get off of him then they could complain. They got a little bit of compensation to move on from him, actually probably could have gotten more and a more moveable player back. Now for better or worse they're stuck with Hardy, who at best will be filler to match salary in a trade.
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u/FrizzyFro 1h ago
To be fair when you're a 3rd string big people arent worried about you doing any of those things at a high level. He just has to score well with the bench guys & defend other 2nd + 3rd string bigs which is lightwork for Ayton
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u/SuccessfulTellPhone 4h ago
DA was a really good stop gap for the Lakers. Before him, do you remember how Rudy Gobert looked like Shaq in the playoffs? And then next year after they got DA, Gobert matchups wasn't completely uneven anymore. And against the Rockets, he actually did really well against their frontline and helped won the series. What $8 million dollar center can do that? He is a legit NBA player. The expectations on him are just completely out of whack.
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u/Smooth_Specialist416 3h ago
For 8m I can’t argue as much but his inconsistency is just really hard to play as a team with.
A winning team needs a center that can anchor the defense and he only can sometimes do that. He can only sometimes be a reliable high % shot.
If he isn’t locked in when it matters most that’s gonna cost you games. He isn’t reliable.
For a vet min that’s fine. If you just wanna be a play in team like the Wizards that’s fine. but your MLE guy is supposed to be one of your reliable 6-8 guys.
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u/TurtlePope2 Wizards 4h ago
He's our backup big. He'll do just fine.
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u/SCSA4life24 Lakers 4h ago
Who’s gonna tell him?
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u/zardmander Trail Blazers 4h ago
Blazers fan checking in, I'll leave it to you guys or Suns fans.
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u/fenikz13 [PHO] Steve Nash 4h ago
WE ARE TRYING TO FORGET
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u/zardmander Trail Blazers 4h ago
Consider yourselves lucky that you're the furthest removed then!
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u/Superfizzo 3h ago
Furthest removed but also most impacted. We should have drafted Luca…
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u/Suns_In_420 Suns 55m ago
I don’t know how that would have worked with Booker, we probably don’t have both of them still if we took him.
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u/8fenristhewolf8 Trail Blazers 4h ago
Ah, I remember like yesterday Lakers fans telling me he was a great pickup because they didn't need much from him and he didn't make much.
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u/SCSA4life24 Lakers 4h ago
The coping was hard. It’s the wizards turn, now.
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u/8fenristhewolf8 Trail Blazers 3h ago
And to Lakers and Wizards credit, it really is worse when he was making max money.
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u/happyflappypancakes Wizards 2h ago
Luckily he is a relative afterthought on our team. No need to hype ourselves up.
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u/LoggraFloozy Lakers 3h ago
Idk what this lakers dude is talking about I still think he was good for 8 million dollars. Help us beat the rockets too
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u/happyflappypancakes Wizards 2h ago
Idk, but I don't think anyone is going to sugar coat that. We have AD, clearly better, and Sarr who is clearly a higher priority. That said, he definitely needs to be ready given AD's injury history.
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u/IllustriousBoJangles Trail Blazers 4h ago
And so the Ayton Cycle passes onto another franchise. Welcome to the "Low expectations, maybe we can get something out of him" phase.
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u/Smooth_Specialist416 3h ago
What’ll forever frustrate me was on the Suns he was that X factor that got us to the finals and almost justified not picking Luka (still bad, but if we had a chip + solid runs after that, not all that bad)
Instead it was getting outclassed by Giannis (which I don’t blame Ayton for), then a spectacular follow up season… into the collapse it was so short.
He was legit like a top 6-8 center at the time and had aspirations.. now we’re talking MAYBE he can be an OK backup center for a play in aspiration Wizards lol.
Grayson Allen ended up being the best player in that Bucks Blazers Suns trade (not Dames fault for injuries)
He’s hopeless. Sure PHX maybe bad blood, but Blazers gave him every tool and resource to blossom and he didn’t. Lakers gave him the spotlight, LeBron and Luka, and JJ isn’t too bad of a coach. STILL couldn’t motivate him.
Lost cause, he may get some vet mins just bc he’s still inconsistently good without trying but man what a waste of generational genetics and potential talent.
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u/SupremeNBA Trail Blazers 3h ago
I think you forgot about Toumani Camara
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u/Smooth_Specialist416 3h ago
Nah you’re right I did. Grayson Allen was the 2nd best player, you guys got an insane steal from Camara. I’m dumbfounded the Suns even drafted him to lose him immediately.
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u/drjisftw Pacers 55m ago
Didn't you all learn from Hassan Whiteside that low motor bigs aren't salvageable?
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u/DarkKnightCometh Lakers 3h ago
Yeah they'll only ask him to do that stuff when AD is injured...
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u/MegaSupremeTaco Washington Bullets 2h ago
He would still be backing up Sarr in this scenario as Sarr is the starting center.
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u/Coolcat127 Wizards 1h ago
Literally no non wizards fans are aware that Sarr exists. They all think Ayton is starting
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u/Vegetable-Tooth8463 Hornets 4h ago
Ain't he the back-up back-up to Sarr & AD?
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u/Easy-Lucky-Free Bullets 4h ago
He's kind of the primary back up to both of them, since they'll be starting at 5/4.
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u/Vegetable-Tooth8463 Hornets 2h ago
Ah okay, didn't realize AD was gonna start. Figured he was too injury prone haha.
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u/Easy-Lucky-Free Bullets 1h ago
He’s had plenty of rest, so until something new happens to him (a reasonable fear), he’s the unquestioned starter.
Fair enough though, most sane neutrals don’t follow us.
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u/Vegetable-Tooth8463 Hornets 1h ago
No, I follow you guys. I actually live in the DMV now, so you're my second team haha and first WNBA team since the Sting folded a while back (sorry about the Mystics loss btw).
AD actually had a healthy season after he did the summer olympics, so that was interesting.
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u/Easy-Lucky-Free Bullets 57m ago
Oh cool. There’s so much crossover between VA/NC fan bases so that totally checks out.
I’m just hype for this year even if I’m just watching young guys develop. My high end for expectations is something like what Charlotte did last year, but hopefully more sustainable. Was a shame y’all blew it up but I guess I get it.
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u/Vegetable-Tooth8463 Hornets 53m ago
It actually varies depending on the sport -- if you're talking basketball, it's usually just NC-focused. Baseball, fans flock to the Braves in GA, and football, fans used to flock to the Redskins.
You guys have a WAY higher ceiling than us if Trae and AD play half as good as they did in the past. I was really happy you guys got the #1 pick in this draft as you were completely screwed during the Flagg one.
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u/Splittinghairs7 Gran Destino 4h ago
DA is a very good backup big.
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u/Smooth_Specialist416 3h ago
Lakers would have kept him if he was remotely good enough. They still kind of have a hole in front court bc of it.
Aytons problem is he’s not consistent enough to justify keeping him for a team trying to win. You would rather have a guy who can consistently go out get you 6 pts 5 boards and hustle even if not the best defense vs a guy like Ayton who will be a turnstile on defense maybe he’ll be passable, maybe he’ll drop 15 maybe he’ll go 1/7 as a center
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u/SCSA4life24 Lakers 4h ago edited 4h ago
Very good? Holy shit.😂
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u/Splittinghairs7 Gran Destino 4h ago
He’s paid like $8m, but go on and try to be edgy
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u/SCSA4life24 Lakers 4h ago
Edgy?😂 Anybody who has had the misfortune of having DA on their team, knows that he is absolute dog shit. You’ll find out.
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u/Splittinghairs7 Gran Destino 3h ago
Im a lakers fan dummy.
He was just fine at the salary that the lakers paid him last year and he’s on a reasonable salary again after picking up his player option.
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u/FoundationSmooth9777 2h ago
Average Laker fan, as much as you guys shit on him he was such a key piece for you guys making it past the first round. Name a better contract to performance ? Obviously not counting a rookie contract, so much yapping and blaming for a cheap player lol
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u/SCSA4life24 Lakers 2h ago
Yeah, I guess Lakers, Suns, and Blazers fans are all ungrateful, right? DA is a lazy player, stop.
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u/tvb45 Hawks 4h ago
Bleach OST going around in 2026 is crazy.
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u/DayOldBaby Timberwolves 2h ago
I was watching and waiting for a flashback, the memory of which leads to a soul reaper finding their resolve.
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u/Gristle__McThornbody Lakers 4h ago
Top 3 team in the East.
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u/PumpkinHead555 Bucks 4h ago
Not sold on their coach
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u/kitzoomayy 4h ago
This is honestly it for me too. Doesn’t seem to know how to win but we’ll have to see
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u/Easy-Lucky-Free Bullets 4h ago
TBF, we have never previously asked Keefe to win games. He was hired as a tank commander/player developer.
He's done both of those things well. But he is a massive question mark beyond that.
Either way, he deserves at least a half-season to show what he can do when asked to win.
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u/probablymade_thatup Bucks [MIL] Luke Kornet 3h ago
I like the Wizards direction, but Zach Lowe and his guest (this is last year after they acquired Trae) were saying that coaches of tanking teams like Hardy and Fernandez seem to be instilling better habits in their players and keeping games competitive until they pull the plug. I haven't watched enough Wizards to judge Keefe, but I haven't heard anyone praise him, regardless of the tanking
Either way, Washington has a lot of good pieces and a lot of assets. Even if Keefe isn't the guy for the long haul, they are well positioned if they can find the right coach
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u/Easy-Lucky-Free Bullets 3h ago
Yeah, as a sicko who watches Washington, Keefe has done exactly what the front office wanted him to do. We’ve seen really solid development from our young guys while managing to tank.
The job this year is different, we know he can develop but winning is a new ask. I can’t confidently say that he’ll be good or bad, but I’m glad the front office is giving him the first shot at making it work.
Bare minimum I expect the development to continue. Which is probably the most important thing he can do this season. (Although I’d love to watch a winning team. )
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u/Bnstas23 Celtics 3h ago
The east is going to be super deep this year, apart from Milwaukee Brooklyn and the bulls
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u/Upper_Address_2778 1h ago
Milwaukee still has very solid players, just not a fully comped team. I don't think it's likely but they absolutely could be like a 34 win team this year if ware balls out and herro is largely healthy. Even then, I'm not sure there is a 60+ loss team this season.
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u/happyflappypancakes Wizards 2h ago
Going from literal last place in the NBA to top 3 in the East would be insane.
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u/ProdigyMamba Knicks 4h ago
wait they have DominAyton? why aren’t Wiz taken more serious as a contender? injuries?
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u/UrkelofPurple Celtics 4h ago
Funniest thing I’ve read all morning, ty
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u/Fcusjfnfmfkg Lakers 2h ago
Gonna be super funny when they either are a higher seed than Boston or take em out in the first round
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u/UrkelofPurple Celtics 2h ago
Wouldn’t be a major bragging point this year but let’s hope? They’ve been in the lottery 7 of the last 8 years. It’s about time it manifests into… anything.
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u/Fcusjfnfmfkg Lakers 2h ago
I didn’t say it’d be a bragging point, I said its gonna be super funny
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u/UrkelofPurple Celtics 2h ago
The Celtics could go 0-82 and it might tie in hilarity with big dog above acting like Ayton is some championship x-factor 😂
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u/CurrentRoster Wizards 2h ago
record of the past 3 years, tougher East, and everyone thinking AD plays 4 games a year
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u/JasonWaterfaII Pistons 3h ago
AJ is legitimately dumbfounded by Ayton
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u/pr0crast1nater Lakers 50m ago
His reaction is hilarious lol. He's thinking no way this dumbass was also a #1 draft pick like him.
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u/Boulder_The_Rock Pistons 4h ago
Ngl, I never hated Ayton’s individual game. It’s the fact that he’s a borderline idiot that really fucking irks me about him. If he built on his Suns form by keeping what was good about him on the Suns and earning plays called for his midrange jumper, he’d maybe even get an all-star shout
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u/sctbarn Mavericks 4h ago
I think his coach did more to ruin his form with the Suns than Ayton did. Monty was a terrible coach to him.
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u/hoops_n_politics Suns 4h ago
Come on man. Deandre Ayton’s biggest obstacle to succeeding in the NBA is Deandre Ayton.
He is fundamentally unserious as a professional athlete. Everything Kobe hated about Dwight Howard, that’s all also true about Ayton. Only Ayton has maybe 60% of the natural talent that Dwight Howard did.
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u/Im_Matt_Murdock Suns 4h ago
Monty changed his game plan to call more midrange plays for Ayton and always gave Ayton the first look of the game to try to get him involved early.
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u/theMumaw Suns 4h ago
Monty tried so hard to get Ayton to give a shit, and could not get through to him. I strongly believe Ayton killed Monty's love of coaching.
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u/ultgambit266 Suns 4h ago
Monty tried and couldn’t get anything out of Ayton. Chris Paul, Devin Booker, Jae Crowder all got on Aytons ass to get him to his full potential, but he shut down because he’d never been called out or pushed. Ayton wants all the glory without putting in any of the work, he’s lazy
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u/Smooth_Specialist416 3h ago
Not to mention LeBron Luka JJ Lakers spotlight couldn’t motivate him either. He’s a lost cause.
For a vet min or a play in aspiring team he’s fine. He’s too unreliable for any serious contender
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u/gr8scottaz Suns 2h ago
CP3 said that it was exhausting trying to motivate Ayton to give effort, both in practices and game. He said him, Book, the coaching staff, everyone who constantly have to be on him. Like dealing with a child.
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u/Lhonors4 3h ago
"You put Ayton's brain in a chipmunk he'll store nuts in his ass instead of his mouth."
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u/HughManatee Timberwolves 3h ago
You have to cut him some slack though. DeAndre Ayton is 74 years old, so things don't come to him as quickly anymore.
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u/GasAffectionate4740 1h ago
Yo but seriously who's number 7?
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u/illjustbeaminute Lakers 11m ago
I know he’s standing right there, but I had to look it up. It’s Bub Carrington
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u/New-Association-3410 5h ago
You know, people were saying this team was contenders right after the draft and now, it looks like the East had some crazy trades in that time.
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u/Icy_Information_6563 Suns 4h ago
The further removed he is from the Suns, the more I start to think Ayton is just a super nice guy that probably wouldn't even like sports if he had a normal body.