DeAndre Ayton made the headlines many times in the last season as there were many controversies involving the Phoenix Suns big man. The player reportedly had issues with their former head coach Monty Williams and that broke down his relationship with the team which was only considered very solid.

The entire situation became even worse when the Suns lost to the Denver Nuggets last season in the playoffs, even after pairing Kevin Durant alongside Devin Booker and Chris Paul.

There were a lot of fans who criticized Ayton for their failure as many believed that he was not up to the mark for the Suns. With so much hate around him, Ayton feels that the fans have turned against him. Therefore he hopes to turn things around this summer by winning the fans all over again with his performances.

“I can feel the whole world hating me in a way,” Ayton said. “I’m the guy a lot of people point at and I see it and feel it, but mainly what I’ve been working on five to six days a week since we’ve lost is just motivating myself to change the narrative of what people think about me.”

Ayton, who was the first draft pick in the 2018 NBA draft has been a great asset for the franchise over the years. While his performances have faced scrutiny and criticism but his numbers have been solid. With all the negativity around there has been a lot of talk about his trade but impressive numbers have played a major role in his continuing with the Suns.

Ayton has maintained an impressive double-double average throughout his career and he also had a solid 2022-23 season. The big man averaged 18 points, 10 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game with a decent 58.9% shooting from the field.

With Bradley Beal pairing up with Kevin Durant and Devin Booker, Ayton will play a huge role in providing defensive stability in the upcoming season. Hopefully he will silence his haters with some stellar performances and also help the Suns reach their desired destination.