Deandre Ayton has been having a tough time on the Phoenix Suns for the last few seasons. The reluctance on the Suns’ part to give Ayton a contract extension for the last 2 seasons played a part in his becoming disgruntled, which culminated in an argument with Coach Monty Williams during Game 7 of their playoff elimination against the Dallas Mavericks.
The pair had yet another altercation during the Suns’ loss to the Washington Wizards, where Ayton and Williams were yelling at each other. Naturally, this has led to a lot of discussion over the health of the locker room.
Deandre Ayton and Monty Williams got into a heated exchange on the bench 👀https://t.co/kqEF9wbAIt
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) December 21, 2022
Williams clarified the incident after the game and revealed that it was an issue he had with the whole team and the situation came out of frustration.
“It was the whole team in those moments. It wasn’t just Deandre, it was the whole group out there not executing properly. It was a bit of frustration, but that happens. That was not an isolated one person or one player thing.” (h/t Clutch Points)
Ayton has also discussed the high-profile moment after the game.
https://twitter.com/geraldbourguet/status/1605432005616758785
Hopefully, the Suns can find a solution to their turbulent locker room issues and recover quickly to make their championship run a reality.
What Can The Suns’ Do To Mitigate The Situation?
Even if Williams says he had a grievance with the entire team, we have never seen Monty have such incidents with other Phoenix players. Ayton has been in this situation twice and it can’t be by accident.
Given the way Ayton received his contract extension and his frustration with how he’s been highlighted in the Suns’ offense, there may be long-term trouble brewing for the Suns. If Williams and Ayton can’t reconcile, it will hurt their entire season. A heart-to-heart may do the trick but it might be too late for this relationship to be salvaged.
As long as they can be professional and move forward with their goals, the Suns should still be a top-four seed in the West.
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