All Eyes Will Be On This Phoenix Suns Star In Orlando

• Deandre Ayton is averaging 19.0 points, 12.0 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per contest in 2019-2020.

• The center is looking to build off the final month of the season where he posted eight 20-point outbursts over his final 11 games.

• The Phoenix Suns are currently the 13th-seed in the Western Conference at 26-39, 6.0 games back from the eight-seed Memphis Grizzlies.

• At +6000 to earn a playoff berth, the odds are juicy, but Suns face an incredibly challenging road.

Seeking Major Production And Improvement

Having played in just 30 games this season, Phoenix Suns center Deandre Ayton will be extremely well-rested for the NBA restart at the end of July. Thanks to a 25-game suspension for taking a diuretic for lower-body injuries, the first overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft hasn't done much in his second season to shed the “bust” label some experts have already assigned to him. Sure, he’s averaging 19.0 points, 12.0 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game, but those are hardly eye-popping stats for a player taken ahead of young superstars Luka Doncic and Trae Young.

The perception of Ayton could change should the seven-footer excel in the eight games Phoenix will play to conclude the interrupted season. In the race for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference, the Suns will enter “the bubble” in Orlando as the 13th-seed at 26-39, 6.0 games behind the eight-seed Memphis Grizzlies (32-33). Frankly, Phoenix’s chances of making the playoffs aren’t very good, but it will be interesting to see how far Ayton and Devin Booker can take the Suns, whom DraftKings has listed as +6000 to qualify for the postseason.

Like free money? We thought so. We read all the fine print, rated and reviewed all of these awesome offers for you. Get in on the action today by selecting your state below and take advantage of our exclusive deals!

Building Off February Success

The Suns need Ayton to play better defense this summer and beyond. He knows this, thus his mentality of trying to block or contest every shot. “I know everybody’s watching me on defense no matter what,” Ayton recently told reporters. “I just tried to prove everybody wrong coming back. It was just a big chip.”

Offensively, Ayton must attack the basket more. It’s hard to believe, but he averages just 2.6 free throw attempts per game, which is shameful considering his free throw shooting percentage this season is 76.9 percent. Perhaps the Suns, knowing they’ll likely only play eight more games this season, will insist that Ayton be more aggressive with the ball moving forward. That seemed to work in February when he and point guard Ricky Rubio developed a nice pick-and-roll chemistry; Ayton posted eight 20-point games and eight double-doubles over 11 contests in February. Ayton could be due for a solid performance in Orlando.

Find out how you can use BetQL to dominate the NBA when the season continues!