NBA Rookie of the Year power rankings, Week 7: Collin Sexton rises up

3. Deandre Ayton, Phoenix Suns

Last week: 3rd (↔)

The Phoenix Suns have gone 1-3 through the past week and Deandre Ayton continues to be a double-double machine. He leads all rookies with 12 double-doubles, including two in the past week.

Despite their 4-17 record, Ayton continues to assert himself on the offensive end. He put up 17 points, seven rebounds and three assists in their upset victory over the Milwaukee Bucks last Friday. He also notched a season-high 25 points to go along with 13 rebounds and three blocks against the Detroit Pistons and big man Andre Drummond, although it came in a 118-107 loss. Fellow Suns star Devin Booker also had 37 points in the game.

Booker and Ayton have emerged as solid options on the offensive end and they’re complementing each other well. With Booker on the floor, the duo is generating an offensive rating of 107.8, but they’re also generating a defensive rating of 111.6.

They’ll need to find their balance on the other end, although it seems offense is just as hard to come by for the Suns as the defense has been. They rank 27th in the NBA in points per game (104.1) and 26th in points allowed per game (114.6).