Deandre Ayton ineffective, Monty Williams banked on Jock Landale’s energy

The sequence unfortunately illustrates quite well the lack of impact of Deandre Ayton in this Game 3 against the Nuggets. While the Suns made the gap when he was on the bench after taking his 4th foul, going from +2 to +9 in his absence, Deandre Ayton returned to the field in the fourth quarter.

After a first missed shot, he was unable to convert a layup and, on the defensive retreat, he was robbed of the rebound he had just taken, and did not sufficiently challenge the shot in the wake of Nikola Jokic…

Deandre Ayton leaves the locker room before reporters arrive

Quickly, Monty Williams therefore decided to recall Jock Landale to the field to end the meeting. On the bench, Deandre Ayton is clearly frustrated, and he will also leave the locker room before the press arrives.

It must be said that with 4 points (2/6 shooting), 9 rebounds, 4 fouls and a +/- of -4, Deandre Ayton did not weigh on the match. Worse, he was targeted from both sides of the pitch, with Aaron Gordon starting the action on him so he could change on the screens, knowing the pivot wouldn’t make the difference on his own. The Nuggets also tested his defense on the screens throughout the match, very often to take advantage of good shifts.

Overall, his lack of physical impact is clearly a source of frustration for the Suns, especially since he has all the weapons to dominate in the field. Kevin Durant, however, logically showed his support, understanding the frustration of the pivot following this passage on the bench in the “money-time”.

“We must continue to encourage him”explained Kevin Durant. “DA just wants to be on the pitch. He wants to contribute, he wants to play well every night. Sometimes it can be a bit frustrating when you don’t have the opportunity to show what you can do, but that’s just the nature of a team. We have a group where the next guy has to be able to step up his game and where everyone supports each other”.

Monty Williams praises Jock Landale

For Devin Booker, however, his teammate cannot afford to get out of the game mentally.

“We have enough experience to understand that every evening is not necessarily your evening”explained the rear. “But the energy and the desire must always be at their maximum, especially at this time of year. You cannot be disturbed. You can’t get stuck in your own head but I could see that a bit with him today, so it’s up to me to re-motivate him – to make him think about the next possession”.

As for Monty Williams, whose relationship with its holder has been made up and down for a long time, he did not directly mention the subject, but his compliments to Jock Landale sound like a message for his holder…

“Jock brought us great energy”explained the coach. “The pressure he put on the circle, especially on quick play, opened up a ton of opportunities to attack the key for our other players tonight. He just fought… Even when he was defending on the ‘little ones’, he just gave it his all”.

With 6 points (3/3 shooting), 9 rebounds and +/- +10 in 22 minutes, the Australian was clearly better than Deandre Ayton in this match, even finishing with the third best evaluation of his team. , behind only Devin Booker and Kevin Durant.

How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Shots made / Shots attempted; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def= defensive rebound; Tot = Total bounces; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost bullets; Ct: Counters; Points = Points.