Deandre Ayton Reveals Update On Relationship With Monty Williams

The Phoenix Suns have been dealing with a lot during training camp: the pall hanging over them from the Robert Sarver drama, the absence and trade demand of Jae Crowder, and the apparent unhappiness of center Deandre Ayton. 

But now Ayton says it's all good, and that little rift between he and head coach Monty Williams? That's apparently all over now. "Everything is back to normal," said the big man in the middle.

I mean, we talk, man. At the end of the day, it’s like we’re trying to contribute to a win. Everything is back to normal. Nothing has changed to be honest. Yeah, I may have come to media day just bland, but I wasn’t trying to give nobody no damn story or nothing, but it flipped on me. So, I can’t really say nothing. Just let everybody run away with it. All I know is we’ve been in here working. We’ve been battling each other, beating up each other in training camp. Coach has been loving it.

The usually-jovial Ayton came into camp looking glum, despite the Suns having matched an offer sheet from the Indiana Pacers, to re-sign Ayton to a 4-year, $133M contract. Then Ayton dropped the bomb that he hasn't spoken to Williams ever since the coach benched him in the 4th quarter of their Game 7 elimination in last year's playoffs at the hands of the Dallas Mavericks. 

Williams, for his part, grew tired of the questions about it last week, saying, among other things, "he's the player, I'm the coach."

But now, with the season just a week away, the Suns need to concentrate on the task at hand: figuring out how to repeat their masterful 64-win season of last year, and getting back to the Finals, which they did the season before. 

Hopefully, the easing of relations between Ayton and Williams will help toward that end. 

Photo: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports