Phoenix Suns center Deandre Ayton knew that he would eventually like to mentor a younger teammate when the time was right. The former No. 1 overall pick found that player this season in Suns first-round pick Jalen Smith.
Phoenix selected Smith with the 10th overall pick after a strong sophomore campaign at Maryland. He earned All-American Third Team honors after averaging 15.5 points, 10.5 rebounds and 2.4 blocks in 31 games played last season.
Ayton has taken Smith under his wing in the early going during training camp. He has relished the opportunity to show Smith the ropes and said it has even made him work harder knowing that somebody is watching and learning from him.
For his part, Smith has impressed Ayton thus far.
“Jalen can shoot for a tall dude,” Ayton said Thursday on a Zoom call with reporters. “He has a great personality, a cool kid and very mature for his age. I’m always on him. That’s my rook so I make sure he is doing things right and he takes criticism pretty well. We know each other’s personality so everything is respectful and he enjoys competing. You can tell he enjoys hitting me, too. We play physical [in practice].”
Ayton admitted he hasn’t really taken on a mentorship role like this but said he is now ready to do so. Players often want to see how a rookie works and the way they learn and it appears as though Smith is exceeding expectations with the Suns.
Smith will have his first opportunity to play on Saturday as the Suns begin their preseason slate. He projects to see backup minutes this season in the frontcourt and his training with Ayton will be good preparation for what he will see throughout the year.
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