A familiar face was reinserted into the Suns starting lineup on Tuesday, as Deandre Ayton took center court for tip-off against the Los Angeles Clippers.
Nothing was going to hold back the Big Fella from making his highly anticipated return, even if LA traffic tried to do so. Instead of allowing a delayed bus ride to the arena get to him, Ayton took the time to reflect, calm his nerves and mentally prepare for the game ahead of him.
“I had a long bus ride, hour and a half,” Ayton said.” It gave me enough time to get all those butterflies out, listen to some music, just think about the environment of the game.”
Fortunately for the Suns, the busdriver came in clutch and got Ayton to Staples Center in time to gear up for the matchup. Once he walked through those doors, he was locked in and ready to go to battle for the first time since October.
“Once I stepped onto the floor, I knew I was going to be alright,” Ayton said.
Alright may have been an understatement.
Ayton went to work early in this one as Rubio found him for a midrange jumper just a few minutes into the game as he began to get his rhythm back as well as his endurance.
“At first I was like, this court is like a soccer field,” Ayton said. “I started to get my second wind and started to feel normal…Basketball kicked in.”
Despite not playing in nearly two months, Ayton quickly caught up to speed as he smoothly fit back into Head Coach Monty Williams’ gameplan. Ayton led all rookies in double-doubles last season with 39, so it was no surprise, but a pleasant sight to see him jump right in with a similar type of hustle.
Ayton notched his second double-double of the season as he finished the game with 18 points, 12 rebounds, 3 assists and a block. Although the Clippers got the best of the Suns with a 120-99 victory, Ayton found the positives in resharing the court with his teammates.
“Being out there with these guys and having that feeling of just playing with each other and having a great time,” Ayton said.
The teamwork and ball movement that Ayton and the Suns displayed against the Clippers was a continuation of the emphasis that Coach Williams has put on sharing the rock. And on Tuesday, the team made history.
With 30 assists in the game, they became the only team since 1990 to have 29-plus assists in 11 consecutive games.
“These dudes are moving the ball,” Ayton said. “They’re kind of fast. I’ve got to hurry up and wake up to the pace of the offense.”
The Suns will look to bounce back as they travel to Oklahoma City to tip-off against the Thunder on Friday. Be sure to catch the action on Fox Sports Arizona.