When the Phoenix Suns shocked the NBA by trading for superstar Kevin Durant at midseason, they did so with the expectation that he would lead them to their first world championship.
But right now, the Suns are falling a bit short of that goal after losing Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals to the Denver Nuggets 125-107 on Saturday.
Nikola Jokic had his way with Phoenix by grabbing 19 rebounds, eight of them on the offensive boards, and Suns center Deandre Ayton was simply too soft on Saturday in the eyes of many.
That was the criticism legendary center Shaquille O’Neal levied at Ayton during the “NBA on TNT” pregame show, and he said he wants to see a lot more effort out of Ayton.
“This is the playoffs. I need you in there every play getting physical. You called yourself ‘DominAyton.’ Show us. Every play.”@SHAQ sounds off on Deandre Ayton’s Game 1 performance pic.twitter.com/rSSpxzMwSs
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) May 1, 2023
Ayton scored 14 points and got seven rebounds in 30 minutes, but that fell short of his regular season averages of 18.0 points and 10.0 rebounds a game.
Jokic is a bull down low in the paint, and therefore Ayton needs to give it his all in order to neutralize the reigning two-time league MVP.
Phoenix got outrebounded by 11 in Game 1, and they will need to rectify that deficiency in order to get in the victory column in Game 2, which takes place on Monday night.
They also need more offense from Chris Paul, who mustered only 11 points, as well as just five assists in Game 1.
A win in Game 2 would leave the Suns in good shape, as it would snatch the home-court advantage from the Nuggets right before the series shifts to Arizona for Game 3 and Game 4.
NEXT:
Kevin Durant Makes His Thoughts Clear About The Nuggets
