NBA Draft 2018: Suns take DeAndre Ayton at No. 1
In a surprise to no one, the Phoenix Suns stayed in-state and selected the big man from the Bahamas, DeAndre Ayton at the top of the draft.
DeAndre Ayton told us himself after completing his lone pre-draft workout in Phoenix that he knew he would be the number one pick and now it is official. The 7-foot big man from the nearby University of Arizona was too good to pass up on for Robert Sarver and the Suns organization.
Ayton will go down as the first Arizona Wildcat to be drafted with the first pick, while also being the first ever number one pick for the Suns franchise. The Bohemian big immediately slots into a starting spot in Phoenix. No disrespect to Alex Len and Tyson Chandler, but Ayton is easily the best of that trio from day one.
Once Phoenix was awarded the top pick following the 2018 NBA Draft Lottery, Ayton made it be known that he could do special things with the Suns. He said the tandem of him and Devin Booker would be “Kobe and Shaq 2.0”. While that is definitely a lofty goal to set before the two ever share the court, the talent is there for this duo to do some good things if they stick together for the foreseeable future. Placing those two in a pick-and-roll causes issues for opposing defenders. Booker’s playmaking ability off the dribble has vastly improved over his three seasons in the NBA. Combine that with Ayton’s inside-out skill set and there really is no way that one of the two couldn’t find a way to score.
The trouble comes on the other end where Ayton didn’t show much as a rim protector in his lone season in Tuscon. Yet, his size, strength, and mobility give him the potential to make an impact on that end if he commits to it. Ayton looks the part of a generational talent, but he cannot rest on his laurels now that he’s in the NBA.