PG13: Ayton is more agile, more of a presence down low and better finisher than Rudy

[8Ball]

Shaq was right about Gobert.

Shat on him for making all that money with no production. The stupid twitter world got angry.

"If you can average 10 points...."

Shaq was right.

[Manny98]

no one said that. Everyone is trying to blame everything on Gobert and that certainly wasn't the case unless you're a troll or just not paying attention

Gobert doesn't deserve 100% of the blame your right

But he's supposed to be the teams best player and didn't play to his expected standard so he deserves a good chunk of the blame that he's rightfully getting

[Xiao Yao You]

Gobert doesn't deserve 100% of the blame your right

But he's supposed to be the teams best player and didn't play to his expected standard so he deserves a good chunk of the blame that he's rightfully getting

https://saltcityhoops.com/what-we-re...rsus-clippers/

[Xiao Yao You]

Who we blaming in Brooklyn?

[Vino24]

Ayton looks like Shaq compared to Rudy

[Xiao Yao You]

Ayton looks like Shaq compared to Rudy

The all NBA selections make Gobert look more like Shaq actually

[Carbine]

Ayton is a better defender than Gobert.

You don't really want to pick on him in screens. There's a reason why some of these Suns Clips games have been old school defensive minded games. You can't pick on Ayton like you can with a lot of bigs in the NBA. I think Ayton is a true all NBA level defender. You can't bean all NBA defender let alone DPOY if teams willingly search you out on the defensive side of the ball lol

[DABIGSALSISHA]

Not only Rudy Gobert.

Ayton is better than Jokic in this Playoffs too, so he is better than both and is one game away from going to the nba finals LEADING HIS TEAM with CP3 since Booker is nowhere to be seen in the past 3 games

[GOBB]

As a Suns fan, there's 0 chance I'd trade Ayton for Rudy, and that's before even getting into their contract situations which makes it even worse. And unlike a lot of people on here I respect Rudy's defense and impact. He's a very good player and aside from trolling Xiao and his bad contract, idk why people shit on him so much.

But I honestly believe Ayton's defense as of right now is at least almost just as good, maybe even better because he's more versatile. Ayton passes when it comes to the eye test as well, you can just see the other team struggling to deal with him usually no matter who they switch onto him. Ayton excels defensively in a lot of situations that Rudy gets exposed in. He has the speed and athleticism, and verticality to switch onto any position. Very few players have the speed to abuse him.

Ayton's ceiling as a defender is ridiculous. It just gets slept on because he was known for being a poor defender in college, and he doesn't get as much sexy "normal" stats that show up on standard box scores like blocks and steals. But when you get into advanced head to head matchup stats you see his impact. Or better yet when you just watch him play. Especially in the playoffs where he's been playing the best ball of his life consistently every game. He makes so many people miss shots when he's on them, who are usually money.

Obviously he's much better offensively than Rudy and improving fast, and he's a 22 year old who's extremely coachable with a ceiling as high as the moon... realistically he's only going to get way better on the offensive end from here on out. In this playoffs alone I've seen so much growth in his game. He's finally learning that nobody can stop him when he's aggressive, and it's a beautiful thing to see.

Ayton is better offensively. No way he’s as good of a defender as Rudy. That’s your Suns blinders on right there. Ayton has got better defensively than he was as a rookie. Maybe he will be a 2 way star in the future. But for now be real.

[GOBB]

Ayton is a better defender than Gobert.

You don't really want to pick on him in screens. There's a reason why some of these Suns Clips games have been old school defensive minded games. You can't pick on Ayton like you can with a lot of bigs in the NBA. I think Ayton is a true all NBA level defender. You can't bean all NBA defender let alone DPOY if teams willingly search you out on the defensive side of the ball lol

Yet he didn’t receive a single vote for all defensive team. I guess you watch more basketball than the people who vote. Interesting. And no a players post season performance doesn’t just negate a seasons worth of sample size. Want to argue he’s playing better defensively in the post season than Rudy has? Fine go for it. Doesn’t mean he’s better. I don’t why fans allow the playoffs to overrate a players game. But here we are...

[Xiao Yao You]

Yet he didn’t receive a single vote for all defensive team. I guess you watch more basketball than the people who vote. Interesting. And no a players post season performance doesn’t just negate a seasons worth of sample size. Want to argue he’s playing better defensively in the post season than Rudy has? Fine go for it. Doesn’t mean he’s better. I don’t why fans allow the playoffs to overrate a players game. But here we are...

and Mitchell is the greatest Jazz player ever and Trae is better than Curry...

[Axe]

With the last game ayton just made toody look like a renowned role player lol

[wagexslave]

Ayton is better offensively. No way he’s as good of a defender as Rudy. That’s your Suns blinders on right there. Ayton has got better defensively than he was as a rookie. Maybe he will be a 2 way star in the future. But for now be real.

Was a poor choice of words. When I said right now I meant specifically in the playoffs. I think in a single game scenario there's still a decent gap between them defensively. But in the playoffs Ayton's ability to switch and use lateral footwork/athleticism becomes just as valuable in a 7 game series as Gobert's superior rim protection(which isn't nearly as big of a gap as it used to be). I do think Rudy is still better defensively overall. But in the playoff series where teams game plan to exploit their weaknesses I think it's pretty damn close, and the difference in speed/athleticism becomes extremely valuable. Of course it depends on which team they're playing against though.

But anyways my point was just that I wouldn't trade Ayton for Rudy if given the chance. Even if Rudy is still superior defensively, idk if it's enough to make up in the difference of offensive potential... but more importantly the difference between age. Rudy is in his prime. What we're seeing out of Rudy is probably the best he's ever gonna play. Ayton is 22 and still developing game after game. His ceiling on offense and defense are both extremely high, and he's shown to be extremely coachable. I could definitely see him reaching a tier above Rudy in the coming years in terms of the total package.

[GOBB]

Was a poor choice of words. When I said right now I meant specifically in the playoffs. I think in a single game scenario there's still a decent gap between them defensively. But in the playoffs Ayton's ability to switch and use lateral footwork/athleticism becomes just as valuable in a 7 game series as Gobert's superior rim protection(which isn't nearly as big of a gap as it used to be). I do think Rudy is still better defensively overall. But in the playoff series where teams game plan to exploit their weaknesses I think it's pretty damn close, and the difference in speed/athleticism becomes extremely valuable. Of course it depends on which team they're playing against though.

But anyways my point was just that I wouldn't trade Ayton for Rudy if given the chance. Even if Rudy is still superior defensively, idk if it's enough to make up in the difference of offensive potential... but more importantly the difference between age. Rudy is in his prime. What we're seeing out of Rudy is probably the best he's ever gonna play. Ayton is 22 and still developing game after game. His ceiling on offense and defense are both extremely high, and he's shown to be extremely coachable. I could definitely see him reaching a tier above Rudy in the coming years in terms of the total package.

I agree. I like Aytons upside. Sky’s the limit for him. Home run picks by the Suns with Booker/Ayton duo. Granted Ayton was the #1 pick. For a #1 to look like a #1 is refreshing.

[Xiao Yao You]

Was a poor choice of words. When I said right now I meant specifically in the playoffs. I think in a single game scenario there's still a decent gap between them defensively. But in the playoffs Ayton's ability to switch and use lateral footwork/athleticism becomes just as valuable in a 7 game series as Gobert's superior rim protection(which isn't nearly as big of a gap as it used to be). I do think Rudy is still better defensively overall. But in the playoff series where teams game plan to exploit their weaknesses I think it's pretty damn close, and the difference in speed/athleticism becomes extremely valuable. Of course it depends on which team they're playing against though.

But anyways my point was just that I wouldn't trade Ayton for Rudy if given the chance. Even if Rudy is still superior defensively, idk if it's enough to make up in the difference of offensive potential... but more importantly the difference between age. Rudy is in his prime. What we're seeing out of Rudy is probably the best he's ever gonna play. Ayton is 22 and still developing game after game. His ceiling on offense and defense are both extremely high, and he's shown to be extremely coachable. I could definitely see him reaching a tier above Rudy in the coming years in terms of the total package.

Rudy had his best year so I'd hardly say he's peaked. Ayton was the top pick in the draft he should be better. Gobert was a project. You put Gobert on the Suns and they are still winning. Ayton on the Jazz and the Jazz are in the lottery though