Deandre Ayton has been one of the few top draft picks to look the part in NBA Summer League, playing solidly and managing to have a positive impact on the Suns squad despite the struggles of his guards to get him the ball. It’s not been a dominant stretch by Ayton, but that’s to be expected from a non-shooting big man in Summer League, and given the struggles of Marvin Bagley and Trae Young, solid is pretty good.
While Ayton’s been a walking double-double in Summer League, one of the most interesting things about his time in Las Vegas has been regarding his footwear. Ayton famously inked a deal, along with Bagley and a few others, to join Puma as they re-launch their basketball line for the first time in 20 years.
However, after donning the Puma Clyde Court early, Ayton switched to the Nike Kobe A.D. recently, causing some eyebrows to be raised. The rookie big man had a more than reasonable explanation for that switch, and highlighting one of the issues facing a brand jumping in the performance hoops shoe game after years out of it.
I asked Deandre Ayton why he wore Nike shoes instead of Puma for the 2nd straight game. They’re ironing out kinks w/his shoe size.
“I wear size 18. What we’re trying to do is make the best shoe possible. They want me to perform well. That’s why I’m wearing those right now.” pic.twitter.com/oFgjHfS1mp
— Master (@MasterTes) July 10, 2018
Creating a shoe that’s capable of holding up to someone like Ayton, who as noted wears a size 18 and is 7’1, 250 pounds, is far different than making a sneaker that works for the average person. It’s one of the reasons LeBron James’ shoes have always been a bit bulkier, as they’re constructed first and foremost to work for him and under the pressure he puts on his sneakers while playing. The Clyde Court looks good, but the knit material on the upper and cushioned sole might just not be quite right for someone like Ayton.
It will be really interesting to see what changes Puma can make to get Ayton in their sneakers by the start of the regular season. This isn’t a unique issue to Puma though, as Big Baller Brand had similar issues last year with Lonzo’s sneaker s he completely changed the design to perform better and wore other brands’ sneakers in the meantime over the summer. With Ayton and Bagley, whose Summer League ended early due to an injury, as their top two players, Puma will certainly need to figure out how to make sneakers for big men, and this summer figures to serve as a learning experience.
