DeAndre Ayton Will be an All-Star next season

Looking to the future is something all NBA fans and analysts do, and now that it looks increasingly likely that we will not see any more regular-season games this season, speculating about next season is one of the most interesting things we can do. Topics such as which teams will improve or worsen, who will the title or MVP and which players will dramatically improve are great questions to ponder.

A player that has flown completely under the radar lately, in my opinion, is DeAndre Ayton, the 2nd-year center for the Phoenix Suns. Ayton was the 1st overall pick in the 2018 draft and had a great rookie year where he averaged 16.3 points and 10.3 rebounds on 58.5% from the floor and 74.6% on his free-throws.

Sadly he missed a huge chunk of the start of the season due to suspension, but when he returned he was fantastic. He upped his numbers to 19.0 points, 12.0 rebounds and 1.7 blocks whilst still shooting 54.8% from the floor and 76.9% from the foul line.

I think he will make another major jump next season and he’ll be rewarded handsomely for it. I am predicting here and now that Ayton will be an All-Star next season, and here are my reasons why:

The Suns will make the Playoffs

When it comes to All-Star selections, journalists, fans and players really appreciate a team that has been bad for the past seasons but now has a winning record. It shows what the cycle of NBA teams should be; lose a lot of games, draft well, build chemistry, win a lot of games.

The Suns haven’t had a winning record since the 2013/14 season and haven’t made the Playoffs since 2009/10. That is a serious post-season drought that needs to come to an end, and I think that will happen next year.

The Suns have a lot of young talent on their roster that looks set to seriously improve going forward. Their top 3 scorers for the 2019/20 season (Ayton, Devin Booker and Kelly Oubre) averaged a combined total of 63.8 PPG and they have an average age of only 22.7 years. They will improve a lot over the next 12 months which will lead to more wins for the Suns. 

Pheonix is also in a very good position with regard to the positions their three young stars play. Devin Booker is a combo-guard, Kelly Oubre is a guard/forward and Ayton is a true Center. They have someone good in the middle, on the wing and at the top which should help the Suns structure the rest of the team around these players.

Ayton will average 20, 10 and 2

Amongst NBA big men there is a stat line that if you achieve, means you are a top big man on both ends of the floor, and that is 20 PPG, 10 RPG and 2 BPG. This means you are a terrific scorer, a tenacious rebounder and a menacing shot-blocker. You have mastered all the areas top big men are expected to master and I think Ayton will achieve this next season. He averaged 19.0 points, 12.0 rebounds and 1.7 blocks last season, so only needs to score a few more points and block a few more shots to get to the golden stat line.

One area where Ayton could work on to average over 20 PPG would be getting to the foul line more often. He only averaged 2.7 free-throw attempts per game last season. One of the reasons why Joel Embiid is so good offensively is that he draws a lot of fouls and he converts from the free-throw line. Embiid averaged 8.7 free-throw attempts last season which gave him an additional 7.1 PPG. 

Ayton should focus on becoming a more physical player going forward, then will he will draw a lot of fouls which will up his point totals, thus increasing his chance to become an All-Star.

Playstyle

Getting selected to an All-Star team and getting selected to an All-NBA team are two very different endeavors. All-NBA teams are solely selected by NBA journalists whereas All-Stars are selected by journalists, fans and NBA players. 

All-NBA selections mainly depend on the quality of your play. All-Star selections mainly depend on the style of your play. Usually, a good but boring player won’t make an All-Star team but a good and flashy player will. Fans want to see players that perform insane dunks because the All-Star game is an exhibition game, it’s just for fun.

Playing flashy really helped Blake Griffin get selected to the All-Star game in his rookie year in 2011. Playing to entertain a crowd is different from playing to win games, but Ayton doesn’t need to sacrifice substance for style. In fact, he can increase both by playing faster, especially in transition. 

He certainly has the physical tools to do so. 

Contract extension

Under the latest CBA agreement between the NBA and the NBA Players Association, rookies are able to sign extensions with their teams in the summer before the final year of their four-year rookie deal.

This means that the 2020/21 season is the last one Ayton has to show the Pheonix organization that he is worthy of a max extension going forward. Given that Ayton could easily be offered a five-year max deal worth over $34 million a season, earning that big pay-raise is certainly in his best interest.

NBA players usually play harder during the last season before they can sign a contract extension or a free-agency deal because there is a lot of money on the line. Ayton will want to solidify that he is a max player in the Sun’s eyes, so look out for more points, rebounds and blocked shots from DeAndre.

Look out for DeAndre Ayton, Devin Booker and the rest of the Suns next year. They have been the butt of a lot of jokes at their expense over the past few years. They are up-and-coming, hungry and very, very talented.