Phoenix Suns: 3 takeaways from 2018-19 season opener

3. Deandre Ayton was impressive, even with some defensive issues

In NBA Summer League, despite never looking truly dominant, Deandre Ayton averaged 14.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, 1.0 blocks and 1.0 steals per game … but that was just Summer League.

In the preseason, the No. 1 overall draft pick started to look the part, posting 18.2 points, 10.0 rebounds, 2.0 blocks per game … but that was just preseason.

In his NBA debut, Ayton put up 18 points, 10 rebounds, six assists, one block and one steal, shooting 8-for-11 from the floor and finishing as a +17 in 36 minutes … but that was just one NBA game, right?

Though Booker’s heroics carried the day, Ayton proved he can put up monster numbers, even under the radar. He was mostly passable on the defensive end early in the game, and he played his role well by setting screens, collapsing the defense when rolling to the rim, and wisely passing out of double-teams when they came.

"“I’ve been watching all summer, I knew he was something special,” Booker said. “When you are that talented and have the abilities that he does, the game is just going to come to you. He doesn’t force it. He just lets it happen. It’s a quiet game that he does, but unbelievable.”"

Not only did Ayton finish with more assists (six) than fellow top-three draft pick Luka Doncic (four), but he also joined Alvan Adams and Shawn Marion as the only Suns rookies in franchise history to record a double-double in their NBA debut.

Furthermore, he joined Ben Simmons as the only rookie since 1985 to record at least 10 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in his first game.

However, it wasn’t a perfect night for Ayton either. Conditioning was an issue at times during the preseason, and it was definitely prevalent again in the team’s regular season opener. After the first quarter, Ayton looked gassed on a few occasions, which is only natural for a rookie playing with all that adrenaline and no knowledge of how to pace oneself for a 48-minute game.

"“His motor was there, his excitement and energy,” Kokoskov said. “He’s not afraid to sacrifice his body and as we know, those days when you take charges are over. He’s pretty impressive when it comes to size and length. And he can do even better. Tomorrow he will watch the film and see how many times he missed guys, when he had an opportunity to block and protect the rim and he didn’t. That’s his challenge.”"

As Kokoskov briefly mentioned, a lot of the defensive issues Ayton displayed in college at Arizona crept into the picture Tuesday night.

Quite a few times he failed to anticipate help at the rim would be needed from the weakside, lost track of where his man was in relation to the ball, or simply let a ball-handler drive past him without even contesting the shot, as Doncic did on one memorable possession at the end of this clip:

Ayton is going to put up big numbers in the Suns’ offense, especially when he shares the floor with Booker. He doesn’t need a ton of looks to produce, he rebounds like a machine and he’s got great touch on his mid-range jumper already.

He still needs work defensively, but he has the physical tools, the desire and the right motivation from Kokoskov to become an imposing rim protector and anchor. If he can stave off fatigue, those issues could improve with time and experience.