Deandre Ayton knows that he isn’t the basketball darling that Luka Doncic is, but he also doesn’t understand why he isn’t getting attention for his potentially historic rookie season.
In an interview with The Undefeated, Ayton expressed to Marc Spears that he doesn’t believe people want to give him the credit he deserves for what he’s doing on the floor.
“I’ve always been under the radar,” Ayton said. “Everybody knows what type of player I am. They just don’t want to give me the credit, I guess. I had to work very hard to deserve everything I have now. I don’t see what the issue is. I just got to keep working.”
Ayton is currently on pace to become the first rookie ever to average 16 points and 10 rebounds while shooting 60 percent from the field. He has been remarkably consistent for a first-year player, even as his team continues to be one of the worst in the league.
The Phoenix Suns still sit in the Western Conference cellar, with a better record than only the LeBron James-jilted Cleveland Cavaliers. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 Draft knows that respect comes with winning. Nevertheless, of the 10 Phoenix wins this season, two have come against Doncic’s Mavericks, and the Suns have a chance to make it three in a row when the teams play on Wednesday in Dallas.
Ayton did say that he and Doncic have developed a friendship since being drafted, and Ayton says he wishes everyone in his draft class well because he wants “this to be the best draft ever.”
