In his second NBA season, Ayton appeared in 38 games for the Suns, posting averages of 18.2 points, 11.5 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.5 blocks in 32.5 minutes -- all career-highs. The Arizona product hit 54.6 percent of his field goals, as well as a career-best 75.3 percent of his 2.3 free throw attempts per game. In his season debut against the Kings on Oct. 23, Ayton posted 18 points, 11 rebounds, four blocks and a steal in 33 minutes. From Jan. 14 to Jan. 20, Ayton had four straight double-doubles, averaging 24.3 points, 14.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.8 blocks during that span. In a win over the Knicks on Jan. 16, Ayton topped out with 26 points and 21 rebounds in 35 minutes. In a win over Detroit on Feb. 5, he posted 26 points, 12 rebounds, four assists and matched his season-high with four blocks. After the All-Star break, Ayton appeared in seven games before the league suspended the season on Mar. 11. During that span, he averaged 19.9 points, 12.0 rebounds, 2.0 blocks and 1.0 assist. After the season restarted in Orlando, Ayton saw action in all eight of the Suns' games as they ran through seeding play undefeated. In that span, Ayton averaged 15.0 points, 9.5 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 0.9 blocks and 0.5 steals in 30.0 minutes. Ayton missed 25 games early in the season due to a suspension.

Ayton began his NBA career with the Phoenix Suns after being selected first overall in the draft. In his rookie season, he made 70 starts and played in 71 games. He averaged a double-double with 16.3 points and 10.3 rebounds per game. In the process, he became one of just 12 rookies since 1985 to average 15.0 points and 10.0 rebounds. On Dec. 29, Ayton scored a career-high 33 points on 16-of-20 shooting against the Denver Nuggets. His career high in rebounding was reached three times over the course of the season: against the Toronto Raptors on Nov. 2, the Boston Celtics on Dec. 19 and the Brooklyn Nets on Dec. 23. After the season, he finished third in Rookie of the Year voting and was also selected to the first-team All-Rookie squad. Ayton finished with 223 offensive rebounds, which was the 13th highest total in the league. He recorded 729 total rebounds on the year, which ranked No. 15 in the league and was the most through a player's first 71 games in franchise history.