On March 9, Beijing time, the NBA regular season, the Suns narrowly defeated the Magic 102-99 away. In this game, Suns center Ayton played 36 minutes and 01 seconds, shooting 10 of 19, with 21 points, 19 rebounds and 1 assist. In the absence of Paul and Booker, Ayton led the team to win the game smoothly.
It is worth mentioning that 21 points is also the highest score in the Suns, which is also the second consecutive game in Ayton to get the highest score in the team. Facing the defending champion Bucks in the last game, Ayton shot 14-of-19 and efficiently cut 30 points and 8 rebounds, which was extremely good. In the absence of Paul and Booker, Ayton won the team's top scorer in 2 consecutive games, once again proving his strength.
Ayton is the 2018 class of champions, and his rookies Doncic, Trae Young and others have completed the renewal of contracts with the team ahead of schedule and received a super maximum salary contract. As a champion, Ayton helped the Suns reach the 2021 NBA Finals, but the Suns were reluctant to extend his contract with the highest salary, which made Ayton very angry.
In the fan circle, many people also think that Ayton is not worthy of the top salary. He was able to perform now entirely because Paul fed the bread. But in the recent game, Paul was absent due to injury, and Ayton won the team's top scorer on the field, and he proved himself once: leaving Paul is still mighty.
This summer, there will definitely be teams in the league that offer Ayton a maximum salary contract, such as the Western Conference team Lone Ranger. After sending Porzingis away, they have always wanted to strengthen the interior. If the Suns do lose Ayton, it will be difficult for them to compete for the title next season.