Deandre Ayton

Deandre Ayton

24-Year-Old CenterC
Phoenix Suns  NBA  
Phoenix Suns
GTD
Injury Ribs
Est. Return 8/1/2023
2022 Fantasy Outlook
Ayton entered restricted free agency with lukewarm interest from clubs around the league before eventually receiving a max offer from the Pacers. His tumultuous offseason ended when the Suns elected to match the four-year, $133 million offer to keep the big man in the desert. Ayton's traditional center style of playing almost exclusively around the rim doesn't have quite the same draw as it once did. However, what he does, he does very well. Ayton connected on a career-best 63.4 percent of his shots from the field and averaged a double-double for a fourth consecutive campaign. Ayton's efficiency (65.6 TS%) and ability on the boards present his primary contributions from a fantasy standpoint, but he's also cut down on his turnovers and shot well enough from the free-throw line (74.6 percent) not to hurt fantasy managers in those areas. On the downside, Ayton attempted just 19 threes last season (seven makes), averaged just 1.4 assists and wasn't exactly a rim protector either, tallying just 0.7 swats per contest. While the Suns' financial investment should guarantee big minutes for Ayton, he only excels in two categories -- rebounds and field goal percentage. His limited spectrum of fantasy offerings leads to a fantasy value tumbling into the middle rounds in most standard formats. Read Past Outlooks
RANKSFrom Preseason
#58
ADP
$Signed a four-year, $132.93 million contract with the Suns in July of 2022.
Personal Bio/PreCareer Summary

Ayton was born in 1998 in Nassau, Bahamas to parents Andrea and Alvin Ayton. He has three brothers and two sisters. Ayton played soccer in his youth but decided to seriously pursue basketball at the age of 12. After showing promise at the Jeff Rodgers Basketball Camp in the Bahamas, he moved to the United States to attend Balboa City School before transferring to Hillcrest Prep. Ayton has played a big role in Hurricane Dorian relief efforts, as the disaster affected his native Bahamas. He pledged $100,000 in September of 2019 and later held a dinner that raised $47.000 for UNICEF's relief fund. Ayton is also involved in the Basketball Without Borders Global Camp, which he attended in 2016 as a participant and in 2019 as a coach. You can follow Ayton on Twitter (@DeandreAyton) and Instagram (@deandreayton). Ayton helped lead Arizona to the 2017-18 Pac-12 regular-season title and earned several accolades during his lone year in college -- he was named the Pac-12 Player of the Year, the Pac-12 Rookie of the Year, as well as being part of the Conference's All-Freshmen and All-Defensive teams. Furthermore, the Nassau, Bahamas native led the Wildcats to the 2018 Pac-12 Tournament title, where he was named the MVP of the tournament. The team also qualified for the 2018 NCAA Tournament but lost in the first round. In the 17-18 season, Ayton was at the top of the Pac-12 in points (704), rebounds (405), offensive rebounds (118), defensive rebounds (287), rebounds per game (11.6) and two-point field goals (264). Ayton was also second in the Pac-12 in points per game (20.1). Ayton entered the 2018 NBA Draft after his freshman year at Arizona. He was drafted as the top pick in the draft by the Phoenix Suns.

Won't play Thursday
CPhoenix Suns
Ribs
May 11, 2023
Ayton (ribs) is out for Thursday's Game 6 versus the Nuggets, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports.
ANALYSIS
Ayton has been downgraded from questionable to out Thursday due to a rib contusion. Jock Landale and Bismack Biyombo should see extended roles in Ayton's absence. The Suns will have to win Game 6 and force a Game 7 in order for the 24-year-old to have a chance of suiting up again this postseason.
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
Dallas could be interested
CPhoenix Suns
May 23, 2023
Ayton could be a trade target of the Mavericks, Eric Pincus of BleacherReport.com reports.
ANALYSIS
The 24-year-old center appears to be on his way out of Phoenix after the Suns' disappointing early playoff exit, which saw Ayton miss the team's final game due to a bruised rib. Dallas could put together a package of depth options to bolster Phoenix's roster behind Kevin Durant and Devin Booker, and also possesses the 10th overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft.
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Past Fantasy Outlooks
2021
2020
2019
2018
Last year was a maturation process for Ayton, fueled by the experience and competitiveness of Chris Paul. Paul and Ayton developed a strong bond throughout the season, executing pick-and-rolls and alley-oops with aplomb, and Ayton finished the regular season with 33 double-doubles in 64 games. Paul continued to push Ayton throughout the season, and Ayton responded by exploding in the playoffs, increasing both his rebounds (from 10.5 to 11.8) and points (14.4 to 15.8) per game and displaying dominance on the offensive glass, with a total of 14 double-doubles in 22 playoff games. Fans could see Ayton's confidence and accountability build with each playoff series, leading to an increase in minutes (only Booker had more minutes for the Suns in the last two series) and allowing the team to expand their reliance on him. With the Paul-Ayton duo coming back together again this season and the trust Ayton has earned with his impressive play during the Suns' playoff run, we should expect Ayton to reach new levels on both offense and defense and reward fantasy managers as one of the top five all-around big men in the NBA and potentially worthy of a second-to-third round pick in fantasy.
Fantasy managers were burned by Ayton in 2019-20. After playing in the season-opener against the Kings, Ayton was handed a 25-game suspension for violating the NBA's Anti-Drug program for testing positive for a diuretic. However, he performed well upon his return, averaging 18.5 points, 11.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.5 blocks from Jan. 1 onward. Ayton was efficient, hitting 54.9 percent of his field goal attempts and 76.1 percent of his free-throw tries -- the latter of which was a strong mark for a traditional big man. Heading in 2020-21, the 22-year-old will remain a building block for the Suns next to Devin Booker, as the franchise looks to make its first playoff appearance since 2009-10. He's already established himself as a double-double machine, and he also had 10 performances (out of a possible 38) last season with at least 20 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks. Ayton's clearly on a track for All-Star buzz in 2020-21, and he'll likely be selected in most fantasy drafts around the early third round, if not sooner.
The No. 1 overall pick in 2018, Ayton became just the second player in NBA history 20 years old or younger to average at least 16 points and 10 rebounds on 55 percent shooting -- the other being Shaquille O'Neal. Ayton's impressive campaign was overshadowed by a great rookie class, namely Luka Doncic winning Rookie of the Year and Trae Young having a stellar second half of the season. Ayton did have some big games, however, racking up 39 double-doubles, including 21 games with at least 20 points and five performances with at least 15 rebounds. He's a traditional center, working in the pick-and-roll (135 dunks), post (58.1% on hook shots), and mid-range (34.6% on 127 attempts from 16 feet to the three-point line). While his jumpshooting needs to be more efficient, Ayton went a respectable 12-of-35 from three in college and is a good free-throw shooter (74.6 percent at a rookie), so it seems like that should develop over time. Ayton's defense also needs some work. It was a knock on him coming out of Arizona, and he blocked just 67 shots in 71 games last season. It's possible he's never a true impact player on that end of the floor, though he has the physical tools to get there if things click. All things considered, Ayton is one of the more promising young big men in the league, and fantasy owners should expect improvement heading into Year 2.
In his lone season at Arizona, Ayton was clearly one of the most dominant big men in the country, averaging a double-double of 20.1 points and 11.6 rebounds. The 7-foot-1, 250-pounder added 1.9 blocks, consistently scaring off opposing players from attempting to get to the rim when he was in the game. Despite his size, Ayton has the athleticism and ability to run the floor in transition successfully, which should translate over well to a Suns team that played at the third-quickest pace in the NBA last season. He also has a solid jumper and showed he can knock down a three-pointer when necessary after posting a 34.3 percent clip from deep. All of those skills earned Ayton the No. 1 overall selection in the 2018 NBA Draft and he joins a Suns team that should give him every opportunity to excel right away. Concerns about his effort and motor do exist, but if Ayton does end up getting featured alongside superstar Devin Booker offensively, there's a chance he becomes a legitimate option for Fantasy owners to select in the middle rounds of most drafts. Ayton does occasionally rely on having strong facilitators that can set him up, so guys like Booker and potentially Brandon Knight could have a key part in making sure Ayton hits his upside, especially in pick-and-roll situations. While Ayton could struggle early on as a rookie transitioning to the NBA, he does have 20/10 potential on any given night if the Suns do feature him as expected. It's worth it to note that Ayton dominated summer league, averaging 14.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, 1.0 steal and 1.0 block.
More Fantasy News
Questionable for Game 6
CPhoenix Suns
Ribs
May 10, 2023
Ayton (rib contusion) is questionable for Game 6 versus the Nuggets on Thursday according to ESPN's Tim MacMahon.
ANALYSIS
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Improved performance in loss
CPhoenix Suns
May 10, 2023
Ayton closed Tuesday's 118-102 loss to the Nuggets in Game 5 of the Western Conference Semifinals with 14 points (7-12 FG), nine rebounds, one assist, one block and two steals over 32 minutes.
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Limited despite high efficiency
CPhoenix Suns
May 2, 2023
Ayton posted 14 points (7-10 FG), eight rebounds, four assists and one block in 33 minutes during Monday's 97-87 loss to Denver in Game 2 of the Western Conference Semifinals.
ANALYSIS
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Double-doubles in Game 3 win
CPhoenix Suns
April 21, 2023
Ayton had 12 points (4-9 FG, 4-8 FT), 11 rebounds and one steal across 35 minutes during Thursday's 129-124 victory over the Clippers in Game 3 of the Western Conference Quarterfinals.
ANALYSIS
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Logs 14/13 double-double
CPhoenix Suns
April 19, 2023
Ayton notched 14 points (7-10 FG) and 13 rebounds in 32 minutes during Tuesday's 123-109 victory over the Clippers in Game 2 of the Western Conference Quarterfinals.
ANALYSIS
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