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By Catie Cheshire
Cronkite News
PHOENIX – During the Suns’ successful quest to eliminate the Lakers in the Western Conference quarterfinals, Suns center Deandre Ayton averaged 15.8 points and earned a shooting percentage of 77.6. He is not the only member of the 2018 NBA draft class putting up eye-popping numbers in the postseason this year.
Ayton, teammate Mikal Bridges, Luka Dončić, Michael Porter Jr. and Trae Young have all made headlines this postseason, each scoring more than 20 points in at least one game. Ayton was the first pick in 2018, Dončić was third, Young was fifth, Bridges was10th and Porter was 14th.
“I think it’s the best class in NBA history,” Ayton said.
If not history, they are making a strong case for this decade.
Despite Dončić’s 46-point effort in Game 7 of the Western Conference quarterfinals, the Clippers eliminated the Mavericks. Young put up 21 points or more in all seven of the Hawks playoff games. The Hawks are tied 1-1 with the 76ers in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
The richest series for the 2018 class is the Western Conference semifinal series between the Suns and the Nuggets. The series features Ayton, Bridges and Porter as starters.
This 2018 draft class has had an impressive postseason.
Porter has the most playoff experience, mainly resulting from Denver’s run in the bubble last season when it reached the Western Conference finals. His more extensive experience may be why he leads the group in steals, blocks and rebounds.
Young has played in the least games with seven to Ayton and Bridges’ eight, Dončić’s 13 and Porter’s 27. Young’s 202 points in those seven games puts him at a similar clip to Dončić who has scored 436 points in his 13 games. Young, who plays point guard, is the only member of the group not to record a block.
Ayton has not attempted a 3-point shot in either postseason series. His shooting percentage is 79.3%, almost 30% higher than the next closest: Dončić at 49.4%
Bridges has only one free throw attempt in the postseason. He made the shot, giving him a 100% success rate.
Bridges scored a playoff high 23 points in game one of the Western Conference semifinals. The two other members of the 2018 draft class in the game gave him the momentum he needed. In the first quarter, Ayton dunked over Porter, earning a free throw to cap off the play. After the game, Bridges said Ayton’s dunk got him going.
Ayton ended the night with 20 points while Porter scored 15 in the Suns’ 122-105 win. Porter also sustained a minor back injury.
Game 2 saw another night where the 2018 draft class trio all scored double digits. Bridges led the way with 16, Ayton earned 15 and Porter tallied 11. The other three Suns starters, Devin Booker, Jae Crowder and Chris Paul, also put up double digit nights. Again, the Suns earned a resounding victory, defeating the Nuggets 123-98.
Paul credits Ayton with much of the team’s success.
“You can’t ask for more from somebody,” Paul said. “He’s literally been our MVP in the postseason.”
Competing against Nuggets center and league MVP Nikola Jokić, Ayton has held his own. Jokić averaged 33 points in the conference quarterfinals. In the two games this series he scored 22 and 24. In Game 2, Porter’s 11 points were the second-most-scored after Jokić, illustrating the Suns’ defensive dominance.
Torrey Craig, who spent three seasons in Denver and now plays for the Suns, specifically called out Ayton’s defensive positioning as part of the reason the Suns were able to limit the Nuggets’ scoring in both games this series.
Craig and Porter are best friends, stemming from their time in Denver together. Craig said the two still talk almost every day and he knows the next two road games in Denver will be tough because of the altitude and the environment. He also said the Suns are aware of how big a threat Porter could pose if he gets the chance.
“Porter can really light it up so we just try not to give him any clean looks,” Craig said.
Craig said their defense contributed to the Nuggets’ lack of scoring, especially when it came to holding Denver to a 32.6 3-point percentage, but he added that Denver missed a lot of open shots as well.
Ayton picked up two personal fouls in the first quarter of Game 2, causing concern he might foul out of the game. Suns coach Monty Williams took Ayton out of the game briefly before putting him back in. After that, Ayton didn’t earn a personal foul the rest of the game.
“It’s a growth moment for him for sure to do that on that stage, and we’re going to need to have that kind of awareness when we go on the road,” Williams said.
Ayton called on his teammates to step up their game after his early fouls, Paul said.
“He was mad at us and I loved it,” Paul said. “He was right. We’ve got to protect him. We’ve got to help him.”
Ayton believes the 2018 draft class still has more to give beyond what he, Dončić, Porter and Young have already accomplished. He said there’s still more players from their draft who have yet to break out.
“It’s a new generation in the league,” Ayton said.
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What NBA draft class is the best in history? The Suns’ Deandre Ayton believes it’s his 2018 group, even thought Kobe Bryant’s 1996 class might argue with that. (File photo by Justin Parham/Cronkite News)