Deandre Ayton is bringing some negative press on himself once again.
The Phoenix Suns won Game 3 of their second-round playoff series against the Denver Nuggets on Friday to pull to within a 2-1 deficit in the series. But the 121-114 victory came after Suns head coach Monty Williams benched the center Ayton for the final five minutes of the game, inserting backup Jock Landale in his place.
Ayton had been having a rough contest, producing several lowlights. He ultimately finished with a mere four points (on 2-for-6 shooting) to go with nine rebounds, and one block. Ayton was also a -4 in his 26 minutes of play.
Rough sequence for Deandre Ayton:
-Can't finish against Jamal Murray at the rim
-Gets stripped after a rebound
-Slow to recover on Nikola Jokic's shot pic.twitter.com/EGk4lkw8BR— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) May 6, 2023
Video went viral after the game of a curious moment in the Suns huddle after Ayton was benched. As the team went into a timeout, Phoenix guard Chris Paul, who is nursing a groin injury and didn’t play, tried to give Ayton a high-five. In spite of Paul having nothing to do with the benching, Ayton ignored him twice, leaving Paul hanging. Suns guard Saben Lee then gave Paul the sympathy high-five instead.
Here is the video, per Eliav Gabay of Sports360AZ.
#Suns Deandre Ayton was visibly upset with being pulled down the stretch of Game 3.
Chris Paul tried to dap him up but Ayton ignored him.@Sports360AZ #NBATwitter #SunsTwitter https://t.co/SrQyYKzOhM pic.twitter.com/SRUh7ZreYR
— Eliav Gabay (@eliavgabay) May 6, 2023
Ayton did not speak with the media after the game and had exited the Suns locker room before reporters were allowed in, per ESPN’s Tim MacMahon.
Speaking about his decision to bench Ayton, Williams told reporters that Ayton was having a bad game and praised Landale for the energy he had.
Monty Williams addressed playing Jock Landale instead of Deandre Ayton late, saying Ayton wasn't having his best game, but praised Landale's energy and running the floor opened up lanes for teammate. #Suns #NBAPlayoffs #Nuggets
— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) May 6, 2023
It is possible that Ayton was indeed just having a bad night, especially in the absence of Paul, who often sets him up for baskets. But Ayton already had a notable issue with Williams last postseason. On top of that, the former No. 1 overall pick already came under fire earlier in the Denver series for his poor effort. Now it seems that Ayton is throwing off his team’s vibes once again.
