What concerns me most about Ayton is his total lack of improvement. He has 5 seasons in the NBA now, 348 total games (inc. playoffs), and we have seen no improvement. He is the same scorer, rebounder, defender, passer, everything! How is that even possible?
Exactly. He's the exact same player he was when he was drafted. That's a sign of a lousy work ethic.
Minus the fact he was one of the worst defensive players in the league his first two years in the league and turned himself into an above average defender.
How is he above average? I see nothing to indicate he is anything but mediocre
I like everything he does defensively. I rate him as good or very good at every task he is asked to do.
His defense is under-rated. He is good to very good at every task you want your center to be able to do. At man defense on post player, man defense on face up quick bigs, man defense against perimeter bigs. Team defense with transition D, PnR D, switching, closing out onto shooters, defensive rotations, contesting shots at the basket. He does everything well to very well on defense.
Being a well-rounded defender is undervalued. Guys with major strengths but also significant weaknesses tend to get overvalued defensively whereas guys like Ayton get undervalued.
I agree with the general point about the lack of development with Ayton. The so-so work ethic.
I don't think any team that has Ayton should look at him as a guy with huge upside because of this reason. They should look at him as closer to a finished product. Some marginal improvement here or there but mostly he is what he is.
I am fine with that. I like Ayton. He is no Franchise player. No All-Star. He could've been those things if he worked harder but he didn't and he is not. But he is a good 3rd best player on a team. I like the work he does defensively, the rebounding and good offensive player. A player who helps you in all three phases of the game and makes your team better.
I do think it is unfair to say he hasn't improved at all because he was literally one of the worst defenders in the league when he was a rookie and a second year player. He was terrible. Even you are not high on his defense and rate him closer to average, that is a darn sight better than what he was as a rookie.