Deandre Ayton has been the subject of a great deal of criticism during the Phoenix Suns’ Western Conference semifinals series against the Denver Nuggets, and one of his teammates has heard enough.
Suns backup center Jock Landale played 22 minutes in Phoenix’s Game 3 win. A big chunk of that playing time came came in the final five minutes after Ayton was benched. Head coach Monty Williams pulled Ayton off the floor following a rough sequence where the former No. 1 overall pick appeared to lose focus.
On Saturday, Landale came to Ayton’s defense with a passionate two-minute rant. He called Ayton a “great teammate” and said he is tired of all the negativity.
“People are making him out to be a selfish individual who is playing terribly all the time and hurts the Phoenix Suns, but it’s Deandre Ayton. I’m kind of sick of hearing everyone s—ting on him nonstop,” Landale said. “I know it comes with the business and that’s your guys’ job and its people’s right to say what they want to say, but DA has been f—ing great for us.”
Landale also praised Ayton for pulling him aside to share some tips on defending Nikola Jokic late in the game. You can hear more below, but beware that the clip contains inappropriate language.
Ayton did not speak with the media after he was benched in Game 3 even though the Suns won. He also seemed to snub one of his teammates on the sideline (video here).
There was also a sequence earlier in the series where Ayton appeared to give minimal effort, which likely contributed to Williams’ decision to sit him down late in Game 3.
If Landale’s opinion is shared throughout Phoenix’s locker room, the negative attention Ayton has received shouldn’t matter. It will be interesting to see if he tries to kick his effort level up in Game 4 on Sunday night.
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