For whatever reason, Deandre Ayton has become the barometer by which the Phoenix Suns are often measured. The man who has simultaneously been a big-minute starter and an afterthought, who they did not much value yet whom they gave a maximum salary to, who they would not extend but who they would match an offer sheet for, and who can be both underwhelming and irreplaceable, occupies an enigmatic place in the hearts and minds of his own team's fanbase, let alone the wider basketball world.
To look at his total body of work outside of any microcosms, though, sees some positive through-lines emerge. And of late, in the absence of Chris Paul, he has been putting it together.
- Find me @MarkDeeksNBA or mark.s.deeks@gmail.com, for all your complaints. For more of my stuff, try https://linktr.ee/markdeeks.
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