Not many people think the Phoenix Suns have a chance to make it to playoffs this season despite being included in the NBA restart in Orlando. But according to center Deandre Ayton, his Suns’ shouldn’t be written off so soon.
Ayton recently had a video call with reporters and discussed Suns’ long odds to reach the 8th seed and the final playoff spot in the loaded Western Conference.
“We’re coming to work. We’ve been working,” said Ayton.
The 21-year-old center explained that he and his teammates are coming to Orlando motivated and want to “shut up“ doubters.
“We thank the league for choosing us as one of the teams. We’re grateful, and we’re coming to work. That’s about it. Whatever the media has to say, we’re just going to use that to add to the fuel,” he added.
While Deandre Ayton’s optimism is great to see, the reality is that Phoenix Suns face a tough path. Among the Western Conference teams invited to Orlando, Suns have the worst record (26-39) and were 13th seed before the NBA suspended its activity due to coronavirus. This positions them 6.0 games behind the eight-seeded Memphis Grizzlies while the Suns would need to jump over five teams in order to make it to playoffs.
Ayton could possibly be the difference for Suns in Orlando, considering that he was having a pretty good 2019/20 season. In 30 games, he averaged 19.0 points, 12.0 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks.
