Ayton, Doncic both flash in first peek, but Booker takes over in Suns win

PHOENIX — In a couple different ways, the Phoenix Suns’ season opener on Wednesday night against the Dallas Mavericks was highly anticipated for the entire year.

By the start of February, the Suns were 18-34. Fans and media alike were looking toward the 2018 NBA Draft class and the debate between Slovenian wing Luka Doncic and Arizona center Deandre Ayton as the top prospect lasted for months.

Those debates intensified when the Suns landed the No. 1 pick, and even when the Suns selected Ayton and the Mavericks traded for Doncic, the spotlight on those two next to each other never faded and won’t for several years.

Euroleague, Pac-12, Summer League and preseason basketball fail in comparison to the regular season, adding an extra caveat of, “Well, that was only *insert level of basketball inferior to NBA here.* Wait until the regular season!”

That made the opening night of the season for both an even more significant date, and as the NBA’s scheduling gods had it, the two would share the court together for their first NBA game.

Wednesday night, we got our first peek at the two, and both Ayton and Doncic had their moments in a 121-100 Suns win. Neither of them, however, were the true young star on the night.

The most anticipated angle of the game turned out to be the return of Suns shooting guard Devin Booker in his first game action since March 15.

Despite not playing in training camp or preseason while coming back from surgery on his right hand, Booker was outstanding, posting 35 points, four rebounds and seven assists, further cementing himself as the next young player up in the NBA.

Booker had a pedestrian 16 points through three quarters, but caught fire in the fourth, scoring 16 straight and 19 total to finish with 35.

At a certain point, he became unguardable, hitting ridiculous looks over Mavericks guard Wes Matthews.

Devin Booker is SMOOTH! 😮#TimeToRise #KiaTipOff18 pic.twitter.com/Zv984kckbN

— NBA (@NBA) October 18, 2018

“He’s our anchor,” Suns head coach Igor Kokoskov said of Booker. “I’m not surprised, Suns fans are not surprised. That’s who he is.”

While pushed out of the headlines by Booker, the rookies did flash.

If there’s one aspect of Ayton’s evaluation that seems like the safest bet right now, it’s his production.

In under two minutes, Ayton already had five points and three rebounds to start the game. He finished with 18 points, 10 rebounds and six assists.

“This is the most fun I’ve ever had playing basketball,” Ayton said.

As is usually the case with Doncic, his box score wasn’t on fire, but the on-court product was there for stretches.

The pick-and-roll savvy showed early. He had 10 points, eight rebounds and four assists.

Deandre Ayton (18 PTS, 10 REB, 6 AST) and Luka Doncic (10 PTS, 8 REB, 4 AST) duel in Phoenix! #NBARooks #KiaTipOff18 pic.twitter.com/mTwx8I67gW

— NBA (@NBA) October 18, 2018

These guys, of course, are still just rookies and had their flaws.

Ayton was reluctant to attack when receiving 1-on-1 post-ups and his poor defensive instincts showed. Doncic’s jumper was short all night and he didn’t shoot at the basket much to compensate for that. Both looked to be very fatigued at points in the second half.

Doncic himself had the weaker performance of the two, something he acknowledged after the game.

“I would say I played bad,” he said. “For me, I really played bad. The first quarter I started really good but then foul trouble so I had to go out. Like I said, I’m not happy about a loss because I’m a competitive guy. I just want to win.”

When the four-point game in the mid-fourth quarter was up for grabs and the chance was there to win the game, it was the Suns’ young franchise star Booker who took it over. It’s not quite that time yet for either of the rookies, something that was apparent when Booker was pulling out all the stops.

Looking past those brief asides, though, sets the eyes on Booker and two rookies who could help shape the future of the Western Conference this next upcoming decade.

But this isn’t a rivalry between the rookies to start documenting. Ayton said Monday the two have bonded, calling Doncic “very humble.”

“I think he runs Euro basketball,” Ayton said. “He’s an icon over there. For him to be that humble at that age being around that type of hype and being a pro at so young — it’s really amazing to be around people like that and learn from him.”

Ayton joked Doncic is still a kid like him — the two play their fair share of Fortnite, a reminder both are just starting their NBA journey and are under the age of 21.

Sure, the Suns won, but Wednesday was more about the long-term picture starting to be shaded in for both teams.

The Suns already have one certifiably great young player in Booker.

They could have a second in Ayton, and Doncic could be the core building block in Dallas’ future.

If the two fill out their projections as prospects, the connection goes beyond six months of pre-draft conversation.

Along with Booker, Ayton and Doncic could be competing against each other in the Western Conference playoffs for years to come, and with the trio being such unique players to watch in their own ways, they have their own prophecies to fulfill.

Booker is the next great scoring two-guard. Ayton is reviving the concept of a natural center. Doncic is our latest point-forward sensation.

Wednesday was the first steps for the rookies towards getting there, but Booker is a bit longer down the path.

The rookies can look at Booker for what they want to achieve. Booker is already in the process of turning around a franchise on his own, a feat expected of most players selected in the top-3 like Ayton and Doncic.

“My idea this year is to get the most wins as possible and make the playoffs,” Booker said after the game. “We owe that to this city. It’s been a long drought for these fans.

“I know it’s a lot of responsibility for me so anything I can do in my power to win the game I’m gonna try.”

That’s the weight of a franchise under him, and the 21-year-old Booker thrived doing it Wednesday.

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