Nikola Jokic # 15 of the Denver Nuggets will try to catch Deandre Ayton # 22 of the Phoenix Suns in the second half of the NBA game at the Phoenix Suns Arena on January 23, 2021 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen / Getty Images)
There is nothing like earning respect for peers.
Deandre Ayton, after putting together four strong games for the Phoenix Suns, on Saturday received high praise from one of the best players of his career. After the Nuggets defeated Phoenix in double time, Denver center Nikola Jokic said Ayton was “amazing. ”
Ayton spoke Tuesday about the importance of getting that recognition from an All-Star.
“That’s amazing. I’m doing something right, ”said the Suns center. “I will praise him. … That ‘s the No. 1 spot in this league for me. Just what he does and what he brings to the game is awesome. I always look up to it and try to take things from it and just try to learn from it and put it in my game too.
“I like to compete against him. (We) talk here and there while we fight. There are only good spirits. Just to hear that, it makes me want to keep working… it’s just amazing to hear the recognition of my hard work. Making me want to keep working harder and harder. ”
The 25-year-old Jokic is a two-time All-Star right now putting together his best season yet.
He is in the top 15 of the top three divisions, averaging 25.4 points, 11.9 rebounds and 9.3 assists per game.
Ayton did Jokic’s work in a weekend doubleheader.
Even though Jokic averaged 30 points in both games, Ayton held him to a 9-of-21 shot in the second game of a setback.
“It’s amazing. Give the boy credit. It’s amazing, ” Jokic told reporters after Saturday’s game. “He is firm. He knows how he needs to – I think that’s the best thing a young player can have: that mindset.
“He plays a good defense. He stopped me five, six, seven, eight times. Give that man credit. It was really good tonight. ”
Apparently, Jokic had told Ayton that he recognized how he had grown from the fast-paced second-year striker against the Nuggets just a year ago.
To Ayton, who averages 15.0 points, 12.2 rebounds and 1.9 assists this year, the words work to encourage him.
“It’s just that he’s seen me as a player from the time I got in the league, like, ‘Dang DA, finally, you look good,'” Ayton said.
“(Other players) see it. It means we have been working hard and we are a young organization. Hearing that from him means a lot. ”