The 24-year-old NBA star Deandre Ayton was the No. 1 pick of the renowned 2018 NBA draft. Back in 2019, Ayton was named a member of the World Team for the Rising Stars Challenge in the 2019 NBA All-Star Weekend.
Regrettably, he did not perform to the level that he is capable of last season, which brings us to the question. Why does Ayton lack the motivation to reach the bar set for him?
Ayton’s utter disappointment with Phoenix Sun is clearly visible in one of his statements, remarking-
“When I’m in between those lines man, I just work. I’m not playing for myself. I have an organization across my chest and a name on my back I have to represent. I’m just here to work.”
We can look back at Games 7 and connect the dots to identify the root of Ayton’s discontent with the team. Apparently, there is a bad blood between the player and the team’s head coach Monty Williams ever since the defeat, where Ayton was benched during a crucial moment of the team.
Ayton played only 17 minutes throughout the last season among 64 games in total. When the head coach was inquired about it, he ignored the matter saying, it was an “internal” matter.
Following the incident, Ayton has stopped talking to the HC and he still seems to be holding the grudges as he said to the reporters-
“I can show him better than I can tell him. It’s life. Nobody cares about the uncomfortable nature of it, it’s how you perform and what you bring to the table. What’s said is already said.”
Although later on, Williams hinted an open-arm invitation for resolving the issue and get it over with. He had this to say about Ayton that “He’s just too good of a player, and he’s a good dude. There’s times where you bump heads on certain issues, but that doesn’t define a person in totality. And I think sometimes that stuff just gets blown out of proportion and rightfully so, when you don’t know all the facts.”
The youngster does not however seem to be showing any interest to end the dispute. The fans are pointing finger at the coach for making the star feel devalued.
How do you think the feud between these two will affect the overall feats of the Phoenix Suns?
