The last time we saw Deandre Ayton, he was coming off what was then the best performance of his young NBA career, a 26-point, 21-rebound domination of the New York Knicks in their own building.
Sitting in the hallowed grounds of Madison Square Garden after a 23-point win, Ayton told the Star he was relieved to be back with the Suns after a 25-game suspension for using a diuretic. Even more so, Ayton said, he as glad to be back in the good graces of the Suns.
Ayton even laughed when he talked about expanding his range to 3-point territory. Teammate Frank Kaminsky, a hated rival of the Wildcats while he was at Wisconsin, even touted Ayton’s budding promise from beyond.
Will Ayton use the NBA’s brief bubble-bound resumption to unleash a torrent from deep?
That’s just one of several questions we’re asking as the league resumes play in Orlando:
Can Aaron Gordon lock up his future in Orlando?
Gordon scored just eight points in 32 minutes in the last Magic matchup before the pandemic halted league play. But he added seven rebounds and nine assists in a 120-115 win over Memphis, displaying the versatility that has become his hallmark in six NBA seasons.
Will that be enough to keep him in Orlando, though?
Before the shutdown, Gordon was averaging 14.4 points, 7.6 rebounds and 3.7 assists in 58 games for Orlando. But his 3-point shooting had dropped to just a hair over 30%, and he found himself the target of trade rumors.
Rediscovering his stroke — he shot a career-best 35% from 3-point range last season — would go a long way toward keeping Gordon in Orlando for long after the pandemic passes.
T.J. McConnell has carved out a niche with the Pacers and promises to be a stabilizing influence down the stretch.
Can T.J. McConnell help banged-up pacers Weather the Storm?
There may be no team in the NBA more bitten by the injury bug on the eve of the bubble than the Pacers. Indiana, which sits in fifth place in the Eastern Conference playoff race, will be without dominating big man Domantas Sabonis for the foreseeable future, and Jeremy Lamb remains out.
All that portends well for McConnell, who has carved out a nice role for himself in his first season in the Midwest. Settled in behind emerging guard Malcolm Brogdon, McConnell will be a heady presence for the Pacers down the stretch. He could play himself into bigger minutes with play like he had in Tuesday’s 118-111 scrimmage loss to San Antonio. McConnell posted a double-double with 14 points and 11 assists in 15 minutes against the Spurs.
Can Deandre Ayton expand his range?
Unlike the Magic and Pacers, Ayton’s Suns are far outside of the NBA playoff picture. But the bubble presents an opportunity for growth for the former No. 1 pick, who showed real promise after returning from a steroid-enduced suspension.
Ayton had eight double-doubles in his 10 February games and was just garnering some buzz for his increased play. He increased his scoring from 16.3 points to 19.0 in Year 2 while upping his rebounds from 10.3 to 12.0. Already a defensive force just more than 100 games into his young career, now the young buck is adding a deep game to his arsenal. He hit his first two attempts from deep in bubble scrimmages, and he said he’s more confident than ever to let them fly.
He won’t have a huge sample size to work with in Orlando, but any meaningful progress will be seen as a big sign in Phoenix, which has the beginnings of a foundational core.
Can Andre Igoudala and Solomon Hill act their age?
Igoudala wanted his way out of a rebuild. Hill was ready to lift the next generation of Memphis Grizzlies, including young superstar Ja Morant.
Then the two aging Cats were dealt to Miami, and lo and behold find themselves in the middle of the playoff hunt. Now, on a team full of promising young players, and with a potential second-round matchup with Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks — a team with which the Heat match up well — “Iggy” and “Solo” will be asked to bring some headiness to the locker room.
Can Rondae Hollis-Jefferson secure his bag in Toronto?
After he got off to a rocky start with Raptors head coach Nick Nurse upon his arrival from Brooklyn, Hollis-Jefferson has settled into a crucial role in the Great North. Now Hollis-Jefferson has rediscovered his defensive roots and his playing time has gone up as a result. In the team’s last game in March, Hollis-Jefferson had eight points and 10 rebounds in nearly 22 minutes in a nine-point win at Utah.
He’s quickly become a fan favorite in Toronto, but after signing a one-year, $2.5 million deal with the Raptors last offseason, he has the opportunity for a big payday if the Raptors advance deep into the playoffs once more.
