RealGM

Last 9 games:

39 7-10 70.0 2-5 40.0 0-0 0.0 1 6 1 3 3 1 16
39 8-11 72.7 4-5 80.0 1-2 50.0 5 2 1 0 4 4 21
33 5-12 41.7 1-4 25.0 0-0 0.0 5 3 3 0 1 1 11
30 6-11 54.5 2-5 40.0 4-4 100.0 2 1 1 2 2 2 18
30 6-11 54.5 0-2 0.0 1-2 50.0 1 0 1 2 2 1 13
28 7-10 70.0 3-5 60.0 3-3 100.0 6 4 1 1 1 3 20
32 4-9 44.4 0-1 0.0 2-2 100.0 1 5 1 0 2 0 10
19 3-7 42.9 1-2 50.0 3-3 100.0 3 3 0 0 3 0 10
29 8-9 88.9 3-3 100.0 2-2 100.0 2 4 0 1 4 2 21

Someone suggested in the Coby thread that we needed an Ayo thread too. I agree, so here it is.

What has contributed to his improved play?

Ayo's improvements have been much quieter than Cobys. Plenty of nights where I feel like "wow Ayo had 16 points"

Overall in January he's contributing 13 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists per game. Not numbers that really pop - what does stand out are his shooting splits - 53/46/91 and TS% - 65%

In addition to that he's averaging right around 1 steal and 1 block per game for the month. A block per game from a guard is kind of wild.

I wish there was a way to see scoring by quarter. Feel like Ayo does all his work in the first three periods and then often disapears in the 4th. The next step for him will be being a 4th quarter and crunch-time contributor.

Happy with his improvements after what seemed like a sophmore slump season.

Ayo in January (15 games):
13p/3r/3a/1b
57/46/91 shooting splits
65% TS
29mpg
4 starts

Obviously his defense is no slouch, but for the year, he's had quite the bounce back season improving in almost every offensive category. The biggest factor obviously is his 3pt shooting, increasing his 3pt rate by almost 20% and hitting it at 7 full percentage points higher (38%) than last year (31%).

I've been considering whether or not to make this thread for Ayo myself. Then he airballed a another wide open 3 again the other day, so I bailed lol.

Ayo has played better recently. Time will tell if he's established a higher floor or not. I'm not convinced he has, but I think he will.

drosestruts wrote:I wish there was a way to see scoring by quarter. Feel like Ayo does all his work in the first three periods and then often disapears in the 4th. The next step for him will be being a 4th quarter and crunch-time contributor.

The numbers are there on nba.com, but you gotta do the footwork. His points per game by quarter in January:

1st: 3.4
2nd: 3.0
3rd: 3.5
4th: 3.2

So he's as steady as they come, taking only about 2 shots a quarter. That's probably why we don't really notice him much - he never really has those insane quarters where he'd score 15 in the period because he's on an absolute heater like you'd see with Coby or DeMar.

Hot streak. Still can't shoot consistently.

The way this kid attacks the hoop is just beautiful.

drosestruts wrote: A block per game from a guard is kind of wild.

Check Fred van Vleets January numbers for fun.

he's increased his usage while lowering his TO% and increasing his TS%. That's impressive. He's moved from JAG 9th man type to perhaps useful backup swing guard that you can squint and see turning into a decent starter.

I'm still on the fence about Ayo. He looked crazy good as a rookie, then I think teams figured him out and he didn't adjust, and he lost confidence last year. I think he came into this season with a chip on his shoulder. I do think his time spent with Demar was helpful.

What I've always said about Ayo is that his game builds off of his attacking the rim. I'm pretty sure I've heard quotes from Billy saying that Ayo needs to do more of those full court sprint attacks. IMO, he should be doing that 3-5 times a game. The rest of his game (really on both ends) seems to feed off the confidence he seems to gain when he does it. The converse is also true. If he gets stopped a couple times, he gives up.

I think his recent success has stemmed from the fact that he's now a rotation guy and teams have gone back to not scheming at all for him. I am skeptical of his 3pt shooting, and think that, like many guys, more playing time helps. I don't know if the Bulls' 3pt coach has helped him or not. His form isn't great, but it is working for him right now. I'll be optimistic he can keep this up from here.

Hopefully next season ayo have a Coby like season & Coby himself have a maxey type season with improvements from paw & Phillips

_txchilibowl_ wrote:Hot streak. Still can't shoot consistently.

He's shooting splits are 49/38/80.

Seems pretty consistent to me.

i'm not really of the opinion that we need to blow things up, but i would be really curious to see what ayo plays like with a complete green light and without demar/zach ahead of him in the pecking order.

the hot 3pt shooting has obviously helped him as of late but i've been particularly impressed by how well he's been attacking/finishing. would love to know if that holds up over a larger volume or if it's just working for him because he's been smart/opportunistic about things

nomorezorro wrote:i'm not really of the opinion that we need to blow things up, but i would be really curious to see what ayo plays like with a complete green light and without demar/zach ahead of him in the pecking order.

the hot 3pt shooting has obviously helped him as of late but i've been particularly impressed by how well he's been attacking/finishing. would love to know if that holds up over a larger volume or if it's just working for him because he's been smart/opportunistic about things

The thing that is keeping Ayo from being a legit starter is that he lacks the ability to get his own shot in the half court (other than just consistency). I'm not saying he won't get there, but he is currently lacking the handles and moves.

Muzbar wrote:

_txchilibowl_ wrote:Hot streak. Still can't shoot consistently.

He's shooting splits are 49/38/80.

Seems pretty consistent to me.

7.4 fga per game
3.0 3pt fga per game
1.2 FT per game.

Credit to him for being able to hit those percentage marks but the low volume makes it hard to draw any conclusions. Also worth noting, those numbers are elevated after a crazy hot streak.

To me, the mechanics of his shot suggest he'll never have any consistency. There have been other players who have been able to work around a bad shooting form but it's the exception and not the rule. I still like Ayo...I just have tempered expectations.

Normally combo guards are short shooting guards that are better at shooting than passing.....Ayo is a tall point guard that's better at passing than shooting. Him and Coby are perfect as a tandem.

Ayo with an above average 3 point shot is a player with 0 weaknesses. You never want him off the court. He can play alongside anyone. Defend whoever on the perimeter. And he still has some untapped offensive upside- he hasn't even really used his college midrange game in the NBA yet. His bread and butter is the pick and roll, I think would thrive more with a dunking center instead of Vuc. Hopefully we see that soon.

ShouldaPaidBG wrote:I think would thrive more with a dunking center instead of Vuc.

Our entire team would. Aside from Drummond, everyone else wants to camp the 3 point line (and pass out of open shots until there's .2 on the 24) or be the ball handler. Vuc **** that all up by taking up space at the arc and bricking 80% of his looks. If he would just roll to the hoop instead everyone would be more open because someone would have to actually guard him (yeah he's probably washed but he's still 6'10") instead of doubling.

PerkinsFor3 wrote:

drosestruts wrote: A block per game from a guard is kind of wild.

Check Fred van Vleets January numbers for fun.

Is this supposed to be a dig at Ayo? It’s still impressive

_txchilibowl_ wrote:Hot streak. Still can't shoot consistently.

Yeah sure. This take will age gracefully

PJSteven22 wrote:

_txchilibowl_ wrote:Hot streak. Still can't shoot consistently.

Yeah sure. This take will age gracefully

One can only hope that's true... but I doubt he'll be able to continue his percentages for the remainder of the season.
~60% FG% and over 50% from 3... per ESPN's last 10 games tracker.

Last 10 games:
FG%: 59.6%
3P%: 51.4%
FT%: 88.9%