Phoenix Suns pull off opening night shocker in blowout of Kings

4, Ayton will have to play harder on the defensive end

It’s hard to criticize a player that notched a double-double with four blocks, but it’s warranted. Deandre Ayton is a talented big man, but his overall game needs work — on the offensive end as well as the defensive end.

It seemed like he played the game at half speed. In this game, he had bad habits that he could get away with considering the Kings front line is smaller than the better teams in the league.

Ayton lacked aggressiveness against a Kings team he should have been able to dominate. Instead of putting his body on people down low, he depended on his height and athleticism to bail him out. If Monty Williams plays him a t the 5 spot, he’ll be in trouble playing like he did in the first game of the season.

Plays like these are cool against the Sacramento Kings, but these plays won’t fly against a team like the Denver Nuggets, a team that boasts a first team All-NBA center in Nikola Jokic and power forward Paul Millsap. They put bodies on people and are more talented than what the Kings have to offer.

The Phoenix Suns are on their way through a long journey through the season.