Phoenix Suns star Deandre Ayton is immensely talented, but he’s not known as a “maximum effort” kind of player.
One would think the playoffs would be a good time for Ayton to turn up that competitive fire. Yet one play in particular against the Denver Nuggets in Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals Saturday didn’t show that effort.
A viral video on Twitter has surfaced showing Ayton standing flat-footed and watching Nuggets star Nikola Jokić get off four second-chance tips or shots just a step away.
Jokić missed all four tips/shots, but that didn’t make Ayton look any better.
This one play didn’t make a difference in the game as the Nuggets won easily, 125-107. But the Suns are going to need more effort than that out of Ayton if they hope to knock off No. 1 seed Denver.
Ayton finished the game with 14 points and seven rebounds, but the enduring image many fans will take away is him watching Jokić play volleyball under the basket.