Earlier this week, the Phoenix Suns won the NBA Draft Lottery for the first time in franchise history, giving them the top pick in June's NBA Draft. There is a lot of debate about what the Suns will do with the pick, some even suggesting that they might trade it to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for Karl-Anthony Towns. While there are a lot of options on the table for the Suns to explore, they will be fools if they trade the pick or use it on a player other than DeAndre Ayton, the freshman center from Arizona.
As some of you know, I also cover Cal men's and women's basketball for Rivals.com, which gives me a chance to see the top players in the Pac-12 when they come to Berkeley. I got to watch DeAndre Ayton in person against Cal and I was amazed at how NBA ready he is. At 7'1", 250 pounds, Ayton moves like a gazelle and has phenomenal strength, allowing him to dominate his opponents down on the block. In addition to a tremendous physical profile, Ayton is showing that he can knock down open jumpers and stretch the floor.
Ayton was the whole package at Arizona, averaging 20.1 points, 11.6 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks per game on 61.2% shooting from the field, 34.3% shooting from 3-point range, and 73.3% shooting from the foul line. He won both Pac-12 Freshman of the Year and Pac-12 Player of the Year honors, taking the conference by storm. While there are things that he needs to improve on like getting better position in the post and being more alert on defense, he's as good of a prospect as anyone in this draft. If you are looking for a guy in this draft to build your franchise around, you won't find a better option than Ayton.
While the Suns would be crazy to not take Ayton purely because of his abilities, what should be the nail in the coffin is the fact that he played his college ball at Arizona. The possibility of having a former Arizona Wildcat as the face of their franchise should make this a no-brainer decision for the Suns. If the Suns draft Ayton, ticket sales will increase and there will be a buzz around their franchise that they haven't had since the Steve Nash era. Arizona Wildcats fans who previously didn't give a lick about Suns basketball will suddenly have interest in them purely because of Ayton. Arizona fans are some of the best fans in the Pac-12. To have more of their support would be fantastic for the Suns franchise.
This post isn't intended to show any disrespect to the other options that the Suns have. If they draft Luka Doncic or trade the pick for Karl-Anthony Towns, those wouldn't be bad decisions. It's just that DeAndre Ayton offers a package that nobody else in this draft offers. It's not quite a LeBron James to Cleveland type of situation, but it's in that neighborhood. The Suns were gifted a golden opportunity by getting the top pick in this year's draft and if they decide to not get Ayton, they'll regret that decision for the next 15 years.
Note: I also provided some analysis of DeAndre Ayton for NBADraft.net. Click here to check it out.
To connect with NBA Lord on Twitter, click here.
To connect with NBA Lord on Facebook, click here.
To connect with NBA Lord on Google Plus, click here.
No comments:
Post a Comment