In the Phoenix Suns first game of the regular season, Deandre Ayton looked dominant. In their second game, he looked exposed. But in both games he showed the same weakness: the lack of ability to get to the free throw line.
Ayton attempted just two free throws in each of the first two games, for a total of four in 59 minutes of play so far. On those few trips, he shot 3-4, or 75 percent, similar to his college clip of 73.3 percent. That’s less than we’d expect out of a player with his soft touch, but it’s still decent for a big man, and his sweet jumper suggests he can improve on this number.