Nurkic for Ayton

[bwgood77]

One thing rarely talked about is how good Ayton is at shooting/finishing anywhere inside the arc. In 21-22 he had amazing %s from everywhere inside the arc. I remember reading that he had the highest or 2nd highest FG% ever for a player that had over 11 shots per game. He may have dipped a bit after that but still ended up over 63%, and what was amazing was that 2/3 of his shots were away from the rim. Few bigs hit these % from these distances inside the arc.

[monopoman]

One thing rarely talked about is how good Ayton is at shooting/finishing anywhere inside the arc. In 21-22 he had amazing %s from everywhere inside the arc. I remember reading that he had the highest or 2nd highest FG% ever for a player that had over 11 shots per game. He may have dipped a bit after that but still ended up over 63%, and what was amazing was that 2/3 of his shots were away from the rim. Few bigs hit these % from these distances inside the arc.

I'm excited to see if this change of scenery and an increased role will help him develop, he still has the tools to be a very good C in the league.

I was surprised we didn't have to send a 1st round pick to the Suns to make it happen.

[phx#7]

Not sure why higher usage would elevate Ayton to Top-10 in blocks. He is somehow a **** shotblocker. Averaged under 1 BPG the past 2 years despite 30mpg, a 7'7 wingspan and elite athleticism for his size. Its a pretty shocking stat actually.

Effort. Don’t think he generally tried hard on that the defensive end.

It's not really effort as he still puts energy in some aspects of the defensive end, like switching, he just lacks instincts and is slow to read/react to shots.

I'd be surprised to see a significant increase in his blocks or steals, but he is still a plus defender with his size and positioning.

[bwgood77]

One thing rarely talked about is how good Ayton is at shooting/finishing anywhere inside the arc. In 21-22 he had amazing %s from everywhere inside the arc. I remember reading that he had the highest or 2nd highest FG% ever for a player that had over 11 shots per game. He may have dipped a bit after that but still ended up over 63%, and what was amazing was that 2/3 of his shots were away from the rim. Few bigs hit these % from these distances inside the arc.

I'm excited to see if this change of scenery and an increased role will help him develop, he still has the tools to be a very good C in the league.

I was surprised we didn't have to send a 1st round pick to the Suns to make it happen.

He can be really good defensively if he is engaged on offense. He averaged 18.2 and 11.5 in his second year playing with Rubio. He is also much better in a fast paced offense, and playing more instinctually. What happened with Paul (contrary to popular belief of people saying he fed Ayton dunks) was that CP3 really slowed things down and was such a perfectionist that he would constantly give feedback to Ayton...now this was good to an extent but it also tended to become information overload and you could see Ayton lose that instinctual style and overthink everything to try not to disappoint, trying to be perfect. CP3 helped him in many respects at first with little things but I think too much Chris Paul, at this point in Paul's career, especially for a young player, ended up hurting him. And then he would overthink things, almost paralysis by analysis at times and if he made a mistake and Paul and Book barked at him, his confidence might go down, and it made it worse almost snowballing.

I don't think he lacks confidence though...I think the high high pressure after the Suns made the surprise run to the finals that one year, the pressure on him from fans, Paul, Book, Monty, etc, were so high, it gradually wore him down mentally.

I really think this change of scenery, he can get back to where he was defensively 3 years ago when they went to the finals and offensively maybe close to those #s I posted which is elite. He is a very postiive guy...he has kind of a goofy personality but at the same time, is like that big teddy bear kind of personality.

I think he is much better than his reputation and I am a University of AZ alum who watched him in college and really wanted Luka in the draft. Ayton was so terrible on defense in college and even as a rookie that I was shocked at how much better he was in his 2nd year in the NBA and then in year 3 he was even better, before he regressed the last couple of years a bit. He also regressed a bit on his FG%s this past year outside of from the rim, but I think part of the regression on both sides were because the Suns were injured all year. For long stretches of time, they had between 5-7 players out. It was just Ayton, Bridges, maybe 1 2nd stringer and 2 3rd stringers. They were getting much more defensive attention and playing with non NBA level rotation players. The Suns had Paul, Booker, Cam Johnson, Cam Payne, Landry Shamet and others out for a long time.

He needs to get back to his best on defense and develop a better handle, but he has a lot of skills. Hopefully he fits in well with your young team. I think without all the pressure and vets going championship or bust, and playing with a perfectionist like Paul, it will free him up to do what he does best. He just needs to play instinctually and not overthing anything.

[PDXKnight]

On one hand I'm excited to see if ayton can do better here. On the flip side I'm somewhat expecting to be disappointed. But it's 3 years which doesn't seem super long. And within scoots contract so we will potentially have a boat load of cap space in the summer of 26 to get hyped up about

The plus side is we will have cap space. The flip side is we will have cap space. .

[garrick]

As long as you don't expect Ayton to create plays in crunch time I think you guys will like Ayton a lot.

He's one of the most efficient players in the paint and despite vitriol from some Suns fans he is no way as bad as they make him out to be.

[Skybox]

I love this shot for POR…Ayton has been problematic, but this young, guard- heavy team is about as good a spot for a rebirth as ever. I hope POR has a big man assistant that can get DA watching Bill Russell videos instead of Wilt…He can get his touches in PnR and putbacks and still get 20+ and POR can win IF he commits to D and owning the boards first…I watched the same s**t with young Dwight who was never satisfied with his correct beastly role and, imo, compromised his career success. Hoping Ayton gets it.

[Sinobas]

Ayton is probably as good as what Oden would have been if he had stayed healthy. So this is a karmic reboot in a way.

We got him for Steve Blake.

[enigmatics]

Pro's: Generally great rebounding big man (can struggle when contested), excellent in the midrange, hits his FT's, can defend out on the perimeter (***only when engaged***)

Cons: Overly reliant on jump shots / fadeaways, poor dribbling skills, poor passer, poor spacial awareness, doesn't block shots, never developed a 3pt shot, doesn't get to the FT line enough, often bullied out of the box by smaller players

It has always been and will always be about that questionable noodle sitting above his shoulders though. He's still VERY immature for a 26 year old NBA veteran and he's not mentally built like the big man greats of the NBA. Instead of trying to build rapport with his championship aspiring teammates this offseason (including when KD/Book were in the Bahamas) - he chose shopping sprees in LA, taking passive aggressive social media shots at the franchise spurred on by false bravado from winning a FIBA play-in, and brushing his pornstar girlfriend's hair for all to see LOL.

Every time his effort came into question he always had some lousy response (ex. claiming he runs on a Tesla battery) and rarely backed up his talk. His conditioning has also become very questionable as the years have gone on - especially since he got busted for PED's. I was the biggest DA fan on the planet and pushed for his drafting when it happened. Thought the '21 playoff run was his coming out party, but he was nothing but an inconsistent/moody disappointment ever since.

I will say this much - not sure that Mark Bryant (yes THAT former Blazer) was the right big man coach for him. He's now a former #1 draft pick with a bag, which he's very well aware of and it remains to be seen what else he desires out of the NBA.

[JRoy]

Not sure why higher usage would elevate Ayton to Top-10 in blocks. He is somehow a **** shotblocker. Averaged under 1 BPG the past 2 years despite 30mpg, a 7'7 wingspan and elite athleticism for his size. Its a pretty shocking stat actually.

Effort. Don’t think he generally tried hard on that the defensive end.

It's not really effort as he still puts energy in some aspects of the defensive end, like switching, he just lacks instincts and is slow to read/react to shots.

I'd be surprised to see a significant increase in his blocks or steals, but he is still a plus defender with his size and positioning.

Appreciate the insight. Haven’t seen much of him yet.

[Qwigglez]

Hey guys, I'm a Suns fan that has been living in the Portland area for close to 10 years now. I am really happy that of all places Ayton got traded to is the Blazers. I think he'll be a great fit, and you'll see his true skill that I believe was being held back playing under Monty Williams and even CP3. I know a lot of people think that CP3 makes players better, but I would disagree. He's consistently being yelled at by CP3 and Monty when he makes the smallest of mistakes and not praised enough when he does make quality plays and that hinders his overall effort. His lack of blocks is because of the Suns defensive scheme where being in the right place takes precedence over making an instinctual defensive play. I think without the heavy leadership by Monty and CP3 you will really see Ayton blossom. Think Bridges to the Nets.
A lot of Suns fans are happy that Ayton is gone, and I am happy he is gone too, but for different reasons. Mostly because it was getting really tiresome having to hear all the whining from Suns fans. Overall, I think a lot of fans are going to see a different Ayton, and many Suns fans are going to wonder why he didn't play as well as he did in Phoenix. Ayton, even in his rookie season has shown a vast offensive arsenal that essentially was being severely limited by CP3 and Monty. Why? Likely because they wanted the most efficient shots. But it takes a psychological toll.

I really would not be surprised to see Ayton putting up 23.5 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 2 blocks per game.

[garrick]

Some of the Ayton haters on the Suns board are absolutely ecstatic we got Nurkic and that someone hes going to do all the things Ayton didn't do but I think they will be in for a rude awakening when Nurkic will miss almost half the season with a number of injuries.


Ayton still has a lot of potential and at only 25 his best years are still ahead of him, if he can work on his handle and learn to use his size to draw a few free throws he's going to a few all star games for sure. He just needs to play in an environment where the team is willing to let him make mistakes and grow his game which isn't something the Suns fans and organization weren't willing to do.

[Sinobas]

Some of the Ayton haters on the Suns board are absolutely ecstatic we got Nurkic and that someone hes going to do all the things Ayton didn't do but I think they will be in for a rude awakening when Nurkic will miss almost half the season with a number of injuries.


Ayton still has a lot of potential and at only 25 his best years are still ahead of him, if he can work on his handle and learn to use his size to draw a few free throws he's going to a few all star games for sure. He just needs to play in an environment where the team is willing to let him make mistakes and grow his game which isn't something the Suns fans and organization weren't willing to do.

Keep in mind that a lot of the games Nurk has missed over the past two seasons were due to tanking, and prior to that, you're looking at a massive leg injury.

He's a quality starter overall, but if you were frustrated by Ayton's finishing, hold onto your shorts. Nurks numbers in the paint are notably worse. 20% lower at the rim in fact. Not for lack of ability, he just puts up these lazy flips. He's also prone to fumbling the ball and making bone headed passes.

But he can shoot, he has a decent 3pt shot now. He's had some good advanced defense stats in his career, not lately so much, but that might be a product of the team.

[garrick]

Some of the Ayton haters on the Suns board are absolutely ecstatic we got Nurkic and that someone hes going to do all the things Ayton didn't do but I think they will be in for a rude awakening when Nurkic will miss almost half the season with a number of injuries.


Ayton still has a lot of potential and at only 25 his best years are still ahead of him, if he can work on his handle and learn to use his size to draw a few free throws he's going to a few all star games for sure. He just needs to play in an environment where the team is willing to let him make mistakes and grow his game which isn't something the Suns fans and organization weren't willing to do.

Keep in mind that a lot of the games Nurk has missed over the past two seasons were due to tanking, and prior to that, you're looking at a massive leg injury.

He's a quality starter overall, but if you were frustrated by Ayton's finishing, hold onto your shorts. Nurks numbers in the paint are notably worse. 20% lower at the rim in fact. Not for lack of ability, he just puts up these lazy flips. He's also prone to fumbling the ball and making bone headed passes.

But he can shoot, he has a decent 3pt shot now. He's had some good advanced defense stats in his career, not lately so much, but that might be a product of the team.

He's also prone to fumbling the ball and making bone headed passes.

This is the part the rabid anti Ayton haters on our board are salivating over, the fact that he is supposed to be a decent passer.

[will]

Nurkic was absolutely being wasted with Dame and Lillard.

PHX will actually utilize him properly.

As for Ayton and Robert Williams, it should be very very fun! Robert Williams an underrated player maker at the 5 spot. Only thing is the guy is always injured. Always.

[Blazers20]

I’d like to see Ayton get 15-20 shot attempts per game and establish a big man presence in and around the paint and force teams to defend the inside. Ayton shoots nearly 60% from the field and would make teams pay as he also shoots about 75% from the free throw line. This could also free up three point shots for Ant.

[Sinobas]

Some of the Ayton haters on the Suns board are absolutely ecstatic we got Nurkic and that someone hes going to do all the things Ayton didn't do but I think they will be in for a rude awakening when Nurkic will miss almost half the season with a number of injuries.


Ayton still has a lot of potential and at only 25 his best years are still ahead of him, if he can work on his handle and learn to use his size to draw a few free throws he's going to a few all star games for sure. He just needs to play in an environment where the team is willing to let him make mistakes and grow his game which isn't something the Suns fans and organization weren't willing to do.

Keep in mind that a lot of the games Nurk has missed over the past two seasons were due to tanking, and prior to that, you're looking at a massive leg injury.

He's a quality starter overall, but if you were frustrated by Ayton's finishing, hold onto your shorts. Nurks numbers in the paint are notably worse. 20% lower at the rim in fact. Not for lack of ability, he just puts up these lazy flips. He's also prone to fumbling the ball and making bone headed passes.

But he can shoot, he has a decent 3pt shot now. He's had some good advanced defense stats in his career, not lately so much, but that might be a product of the team.

He's also prone to fumbling the ball and making bone headed passes.

This is the part the rabid anti Ayton haters on our board are salivating over, the fact that he is supposed to be a decent passer.

He will make some nice passes. He has that ability. But it sure seems the stat recorders only record about 1 out of ever 3 of his turnovers. His hands are terrible. That's probably a bigger issue than his passing in fact.

He can put up monster games stat was. 30 pts 20 boards, 5 assists, 5 blocks....

In time you're just going to be like "Dunk the fing ball" "Grab the fing ball"

[Goldbum]

I just listened to a podcast that compared Camara to Jarace and implied Camara might be a better shooter and more athletic. A Jarace Walker type forward would be amazing. Not saying that I'm buying the take...but dang that would be a steal.

[Blazinaway]

I just listened to a podcast that compared Camara to Jarace and implied Camara might be a better shooter and more athletic. A Jarace Walker type forward would be amazing. Not saying that I'm buying the take...but dang that would be a steal.

how nice would that be! He seems to me to be the one guy out of our young SF/PFs that could really surprise and do it soon, moreso that Jabari or Murray, we see

[zzaj]

Some of the Ayton haters on the Suns board are absolutely ecstatic we got Nurkic and that someone hes going to do all the things Ayton didn't do but I think they will be in for a rude awakening when Nurkic will miss almost half the season with a number of injuries.


Ayton still has a lot of potential and at only 25 his best years are still ahead of him, if he can work on his handle and learn to use his size to draw a few free throws he's going to a few all star games for sure. He just needs to play in an environment where the team is willing to let him make mistakes and grow his game which isn't something the Suns fans and organization weren't willing to do.

Keep in mind that a lot of the games Nurk has missed over the past two seasons were due to tanking, and prior to that, you're looking at a massive leg injury.

He's a quality starter overall, but if you were frustrated by Ayton's finishing, hold onto your shorts. Nurks numbers in the paint are notably worse. 20% lower at the rim in fact. Not for lack of ability, he just puts up these lazy flips. He's also prone to fumbling the ball and making bone headed passes.

But he can shoot, he has a decent 3pt shot now. He's had some good advanced defense stats in his career, not lately so much, but that might be a product of the team.

He's also prone to fumbling the ball and making bone headed passes.

This is the part the rabid anti Ayton haters on our board are salivating over, the fact that he is supposed to be a decent passer.

It's kinda hard to guage Nurkic because of the injury. I doubt he ever gets back to his 'Bosnian Beast' level, but the more time he puts between then and now and learns he can still trust that leg, I'm sure will help. Him being on a competitive team is a good thing too.

Another thing that doesn't get talked about which is a plus--pre-injury, there was probably no better defender on Jokic. To the point that Nurkic actually outplayed Jokic in a couple of their matchups. Nurkic seems to have the processing speed to do the right things to defend with Jokic, and also seems to know and relish the challenge. I think those two have known each other for a long time...

Anyway, we haven't seen that recently because it looks like Nurkic has lost a step or is still a bit yipee with that leg...and also because of tanking. My hope is that he gets back to 'Beast' levels for you guys.