Deandre Ayton, welcome to the NBA.
The rookie No. 1 pick has put up numbers this season — 16.9 points, 11 rebounds a game, shooting 62.5 percent — but his defense is going to take a lot longer to come around. Which was expected coming into the season, but when an elite passing offense comes to town it can get ugly.
Toronto did that to the Phoenix center, passing between Ayton’s legs — a “nutmeg” to borrow the soccer term — four times.
The Raptors won the game 107-98.
Ayton will get better on defense and is on track to be a quality NBA player. The learning process can be rough, though.
