Suns’ Igor Kokoskov wants patience with expectations for Deandre Ayton

PHOENIX — Expectations can be tricky for NBA rookies.

Depending on the situation they are drafted into, teams may be expecting very much or very little out of their selection.

On top of Deandre Ayton being the No. 1 overall pick, the Phoenix Suns’ roster construction pointed toward the team relying on him to be one of the second, third or fourth best players for the team.

That’s the case for a fair handful of rookies selected in the top-3, but the difference in Phoenix was the team’s expectations were a double-digit improvement in wins.

Most importantly, while there was some debate by some outside of Phoenix as to whether or not Ayton was the top prospect, there was not much at all in Phoenix regarding Ayton’s status. He was seen as the clear-cut No. 1 guy that was a once-in-a-generation big man prospect.

The expectations for both him and his team were very high compared to what you’d normally expect of a rookie center and a roster with the talent level of the Suns.

That, along with a 2-11 start for the Suns, has led to some frustration in the fan base.

Suns head coach Igor Kokoskov always speaks highly of his big man but wanted to remind everyone the reality of Ayton’s situation.

“I think we all have to be more patient when it comes to expectations [for] Deandre,” he said after practice on Tuesday. “He’s gonna be a hell of a player. He’s extremely talented but he’s going through something every young player goes through. He’s playing against elite big guys, elite centers in this league, and it’s not easy.

“We put so much on his shoulders that I don’t want him to feel pressure but just enjoy, be aggressive and learn from mistakes but I also don’t want to basically paralyze [him].”

For those looking at the team’s stat sheet through 13 games, you might be confused.

Ayton is averaging 15.9 points, 10.6 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game while shooting 60.4 percent from the field.

What has been happening, though, is some of Ayton’s strong statistical performances lacking a real impact on the game itself. For the exception of two quarters in Memphis and portions of the season opener, Ayton has yet to put his full grasp on a game.

In what is normally the case for any rookie, as well, his weaknesses are showing. To provide a disclaimer here, this is in no way downplaying Ayton’s overall play this year or his long-term outlook. He is, quite simply, flawed and raw for the time being. That is unexpected for a lot of people and it’s leading to anger.

As I wrote about in late May, his red flags coming into the NBA Draft were his individual offensive creation, his physicality and his defensive instincts.

We’ve seen all of that come together in the past two weeks with teams having enough tape to game plan around Ayton. That’s a compliment to how much of a threat he can be if treated without that respect.

The Brooklyn Nets were the first team to really do this on Nov. 6. They had all their bigs play far off Ayton in the high post, daring him to take deep mid-range jumpers so they could cut off other lanes to the basket.

Ayton said after the game he got in his own head because of the missed jumpers and the strategy. He shot 6-of-17 in the game.

The logical move is to take a dribble or two and either establish post position or finish at the rim.

That’s not in Ayton’s game yet, unlike other rookie bigs in his class such as Memphis’ Jaren Jackson Jr.

Fans have begun to notice Ayton’s occasional hesitancy to attack even when he’s in a good spot.

For better or for worse, his first look on an offensive rebound is to kick it out rather than go back up with it. It’s a good basketball play most of the time but speaks to the lack of physicality in his game.

Most notably, he caught an offensive rebound against the New Orleans Pelicans with 6-foot-7 Wesley Johnson on his back about 10 feet from the basket. Instead of going straight to work, he passed out of the situation.

His finishing is more finesse at this point, a bizarre thing considering his size.

When the opportunity is there to bump bodies and finish strong, Ayton often elects for a lay-in.

Ayton has 70 field goals converted in the restricted area this season but only 23 of them have been dunks, the 16th most in the league.

He is skilled enough to spin off 5-foot-11 Fred VanVleet here, but an aggressive dribble or two is all it takes to emphatically finish.

On defense, he’s had boatloads of possessions where there was a clear opportunity for him to step up as a rim protector.

He has tons of time to recognize Terrance Ferguson’s blow-by on Devin Booker here, take one step to the right and use verticality. Alas, no contest.

"You better MOVE outta my way!"#ThunderUp | #PHOvsOKC pic.twitter.com/4J8fw9JYrV

— FOX Sports Oklahoma (@FOXSportsOK) November 13, 2018

The good news is we’ve seen him respond in several of these situations.

This is in garbage time but Ayton battles hard for post position, sticks with the play and finishes. To that earlier offensive rebound clip, notice how the pass to Ariza in the corner is there but Ayton is clearly being more aggressive and looking to score.

That’s what the Suns want to see out of Ayton all the time.

To pivot all the way back, though, it takes a reminder that he’s in the first steps of his career.

“It’s not fair for us to expect that he’s gonna dominate the game suddenly and play Steven Adams, who is seven or eight years older with more NBA experience,” Kokoskov said. “So I’m not saying play the game to lose the game but be realistic when it comes to is he going to dominate Steven Adams at this moment? No, but at some point he’s going to be a much better player than he is.

“We all believe in that but we have to be realistic [with] expectations and give him some time to grow.”

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