The Phoenix Suns held the first overall pick in last June’s NBA Draft. They selected center Deandre Ayton, a bonafide star in the making with the raw talent to be the centerpiece of a franchise. Add him to a team already possessing scoring machine Devin Booker and fellow first round pick Josh Jackson and the Suns had hoped to have something interesting brewing.
Well, they are in the midst of a 17-game losing streak. That includes a loss to the nearly-equally bad Cleveland Cavaliers. Following that defeat, Ayton came out and said that it is time for him to make more of an impact.
“I gave them (enough time to let them run what they got to run,” Ayton said via Duane Rankin of azcentral.com. “Now I’m about to just take over now. It’s about that time to take over and not really look back.”
“It’s just tough,” Ayton continued to Rankin about the losing skid. “It’s not easy to deal with. I’m going to try my best to take over. Real talk.”
That loss to Cleveland was the Suns’ 16th loss in a row. Their 17th loss came on the road against the Atlanta Hawks. Phoenix actually had a good chance to win that game, but squandered the opportunity down the stretch. Ayton’s “take over” comments resulted in him putting up 14 points and 12 rebounds. This time, it was Devin Booker’s turn to voice his opinion on the Suns’ massive losing streak:
"We're not on the same page. It's the worst I've seen it since I've been here and that's saying a lot, but we have to keep fighting. We have to keep our heads up and keep building. What's in the past is behind us. Just keep trying to get better every game." Devin Booker #Suns
— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) February 24, 2019
The deck is certainly stacked against the Suns, who are not only trying to mesh several young players but a rookie head coach. Ayton and Booker have quarreled this season, perhaps a natural sequence of events for two young players figuring out how to mesh. But to say this losing streak is the absolute bottom of the barrel is certainly very troubling.
Devin Booker signed a contract extension this past offseason to stay in Phoenix, a good sign that he believes in the young core assembled (he may like money too, for what it is worth). There was some doubt when it was reported that Booker wanted to meet with Suns ownership prior to signing an extension. Now, he will have to be part of the solution in Phoenix.
