Los Angeles Clippers ‘Marcus Morris Sr., right, defends Phoenix Suns’ Deandre Ayton (22) during an NBA basketball game Tuesday, August 4, 2020, in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. (Kevin C. Cox / Pool Photo via AP)
Not all head coaches would back up Phoenix Suns center Deandre Ayton like Monty Williams has.
The 22-year-old big man missed his required test on COVID-19 on Sunday, causing him to be out of the Suns starting lineup in Monday’s win over the Oklahoma City Thunder.
It follows that Ayton will be suspended 25 games after the season opener for failing a drug test, and the no. 1 general choice from the 2018 NBA Draft has certainly had appearances where some coaches express their displeasure through the media.
That hasn’t been Williams ’entire season, and he went through with it after Monday’s slipup.
“You need to be able to give people a break,” he said Monday. ‘It was not intentional, and fortunately he could be tested early to get the results back so he could come and play. And the boys welcomed him with open arms, because we all understand that we are human. ”
The Suns without Ayton in the first quarter were out of rhythm and outscored 37-23. It clearly had an impact on their game, and if they had not been so lucky to play a Thunder team without several key players in the second game of a back-to-back, they could have lost.
Williams would not criticize Ayton’s decision – making, a choice to improve his team and not one he should take on himself.
The Suns certainly already understand how to get the best out of Ayton, and it’s a very plausible guess to say that it does not make him public. And I’ll present another hypothesis that he got a chat-to private.
Ayton did something stupid, but Williams would not even go there.
“To test every day is just different for us,” he said, noting that he has moments where he double-checks in his head when he has done his test. ‘You just get confused by it, and I know I’m not the only one who did that.’
Williams said he had not considered Ayton for his mistake and would not comment further on it.
“You just have to check yourself all day,” Williams said of testing.
That’s what Ayton did not do on Sunday, and it cost the Suns almost a game they should probably win to have a chance of making the playoffs yet.
Despite that, Phoenix clung to the mantra of ‘navigating through the uncertainty’ that the bubble presented to her, which All-Star guard Devin Booker reinforced himself when asked about Ayton’s goat.
Booker, as he has been all season, reflected Williams’ leadership and supported his great man.
‘One day, I mean, it might slip your mind. It’s not the first thing I think of when I go out of practice, I can tell you that, ‘he said.
“It’s a long walk (to the test center), I will not lie.”
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