Deandre Ayton makes bold statement after first practice with Kevin Durant

The Phoenix Suns made it to the NBA Finals just a couple of years ago. They were two wins away from winning the very first championship in franchise history, but thenGiannis Antetokounmpo went nuclear mode.

It seemed like Monty Williams’ team had peaked already. Injuries, some discontent from key members of the team, and overall fatigue made it seem like the Suns were no longer a championship contender.

But trading for Kevin Durant changes everything for this team. Even Deandre Ayton— who seemingly wanted no part of the organization anymore— knows it’s time for them to get the job done after just one practice with KD.

Deandre Ayton Says The Suns Aren’t Messing Around Anymore

“Man, one of those ones where you have those scoring matches behind closed doors. You don’t know what happened with the folks in there, it was one of those. It was physical and things you’ve never seen before,”Ayton said. “Then KD just getting in his bag and doing it on my team. Wearing the same jerseys. It was pretty cool and just seeing him and Book, he’s scoring, Book scoring, 3. Dump it off to me. It’s insane man.”

“I think everybody’s competitive levels have risen a little bit,“ Ayton added. “The atmosphere around the facility has, I don’t want to say got intense, but it’s definitely a little dense when it comes to handling business. Ain’t no more playing games. Less smiles, more seriousness.”

Kevin Durant Knows The Pressure Is On

Likewise, Kevin Durant knows the Suns will be asked to perform at the highest level because of him. He recently admitted that he’s feeling the pressure of leading this team as one of the best to ever do it.

“It’s pressure because I’m one of the best players to ever play the game,” Durant acknowledged. “So, everytime I step on the floor people are going to expect me to do great things, for the team I’m on to do great things. But I enjoy getting better as a player every day. I enjoy waking up and getting to do this. So I don’t ever say anything’s a failure but I know what’s on our backs and we wanna get the most out of these opportunities.”

Simply put, there’s no more excuses or margin for error in the Valley of the Sun. They have absolutely everything they need to get the job done this time around, so let’s see if they can live up to the expectations.