PHOENIX β About 45 minutes after the Phoenix Suns lost their third of four games so far this season on Wednesday, Deandre Ayton exited the shower room in dress clothes, asked a PR executive for help straightening out his tie, and faced his locker stall while he finished tidying up.
Then, a few minutes later, the former Arizona Wildcats star turned around to a circle of reporters who hadnβt budged through the routine.
βOh,β Ayton said, cracking a slight smile. βYβall waiting on me?β
Yes, everybody was. Good or bad, day or night, on the floor or in the locker room, Ayton is in demand as the No. 1 draft pick on a team trying to rebuild itself to NBA relevance.
It isnβt easy.
Through four games, Ayton has delivered to expectations, even as one who was drafted first and will make over $8 million this year as a rookie. After collecting 22 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks in the Sunsβ 131-113 loss to the Lakers on Wednesday, Ayton is averaging 16.3 points and 10.8 rebounds while shooting 62.8 percent from the field.
Basketball Reference tweeted Thursday that heβs the first rookie since 1983 to average at least 15 points, 10 rebounds and shoot 60 percent.
So heβs good there. Except within that average were two difficult road games, including the Sunsβ 119-91 loss at Denver, in which Nuggets center Nikola Jokic racked up a triple-double (35 points, 12 rebounds, 11 assists) while scoring on Ayton inside, drawing fouls from him and putting up 3s over him.
Schooling him, basically.
Ayton took the lesson seriously, saying he watched a lot of video replay afterward.
βThe Nuggets game, I really learned a lot,β Ayton said. βI was guarding the post wrongly and Jokic is a great player and took advantage of that. It was a great welcome to me, personally.β
Two days later, Ayton was thrown into Oracle Arena to face the NBA champion Warriors. Ayton managed 20 points and 14 rebounds at Golden State, yet still left the arena with his head spinning somewhat.
Like just about everyone else, that is.
βTheyβre a team thatβs very versatile from 1-5,β Ayton said. βJust their pace β you think youβve got a good dunk but theyβre already down the court shooting a 3. So just seeing that in person is a great learning experience and I want to take it to our team.β
By Wednesday, Ayton and the Suns returned home to Talking Stick Resort Arena. Ayton was barely finished soaking up those two road lessons before none other than LeBron James and the Lakers showed up.
βEvery nightβ is a tough test for Ayton, Suns coach Igor Kokoskov said.
βThereβs not one game where theyβre going to say, βOK, I gotta check to see (if thereβs any) barbecue chicken,β he said, referring to basketball slang about a big man who gets dominated in the post. βThereβs no barbecue chicken.β
The Lakers were 0-3 entering the game, but they still managed to roast the Suns before a sellout crowd of 18,055 that included UA commits Nico Mannion and Terry Armstrong.
Phoenix trailed by 20 entering the third quarter, and by 27 in the fourth quarter before Ayton and the Suns rallied. Aytonβs 10 points, four rebounds and one block in the final quarter kept it from getting worse.
The Suns sunk to 1-3 but Aytonβs night drew some individual praise. James said the rookieβs performance showed the Suns βchose rightβ with their No. 1 pick, while Lakers coach Luke Walton praised his fellow former UA player.
βHeβs a Wildcat β heβs awesome,β Walton said with a smile. βHeβs big, heβs strong. He had some amazing blocks and amazing plays. Like all young players, he made some mistakes but I think heβs going to be a hell of a player.β
When told of their remarks, Ayton chuckled.
βI appreciate the love,β he said. βHearing that from LeBron is amazing.β
But he also knows there is no love lost between him and many of his other opponents on the court, who are aiming to βwelcomeβ the No. 1 pick to the NBA during his first round through the league.
After being in the NBA for 17 seasons, Suns center Tyson Chandler can tell you thatβs the way it works.
βFor sure,β Chandler said. βIf youβre champions, youβre going to have a target on your back. Youβre the No. 1 pick, youβre going to have a target on your back. You win any accolade, you gonna have a target on your back.
βThatβs a part of this league and you gotta take it in stride. But itβs a compliment. ... Itβs a good thing for him.β
Itβs good, even if sometimes it gets a little rough under the basket.
βDudes try to attack me,β Ayton said. βThey want to see what Iβm about. I guess thereβs this rookie thing where they want to see what youβre really made of. But Iβm a competitor. I like to compete. Itβs a part of my nature, so we just got to do it as a team.β
Suns star Devin Booker can relate, but only somewhat, since even he didnβt have it nearly as bad as a rookie from Kentucky three years ago.
Booker was the No. 13 pick in the 2015 draft, and didnβt receive consistent minutes until December of his rookie season.
Ayton, however, was the No. 1 pick for a team that finished with the worst record in the NBA last season.
Heβs needed to do everything possible, as quick as possible.
βHe has a lot more pressure than I did,β Booker said. βI feel like he has more of a spotlight on him being that No. 1 pick. And guys say heβs going to be the next Shaq out of college. Thatβs a lot to put on a 19- or 20-year old.
βBut heβs handled it well. He wants to be great. I think heβs destined to be really good.β