NBA Draft Profile: DeAndre Ayton

---

SteemSports Presenter:@mateonav53

---

SteemSports Editor:@scottybuckets

---

The NBA is at that slow drudge of the year right before draft and free agency. Games aren't on, but draft rumors and smokescreens from NBA GMs are flying, and player's stocks are constantly fluctuating like crypto(with less of a general nosedive). One guy who has consistently stayed at the top of the list is potential No. 1 overall pick Deandre Ayton. The Phoenix Suns were granted with the first overall pick, will they cash it in on the physical specimen of an Arizona big man?

---

The answer is most likely yes. Let's start with Ayton's basic stats. Ayton will be 20 years old when the NBA season starts. His height hops between 7'0 and 7'1 depending on which NBA scout you're consulting, and he boasts a 7'5 wingspan. That wingspan can surely cover a lot of airspace, but it isn't near the widest in the draft (that would be Texas freshman Mo Bamba at a ridiculous 7'10 - longest in NBA Combine History). Deandre carries 250 pounds of solid muscle, but he expresses it in his play like an NBA player of smaller size. His towering height coupled with his chiseled physique reminds me of a young David Robinson. In his lone year at Arizona, he put up averages of 20.1 points, 11.6 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 0.6 steals, and 1.9 blocks while shooting 34% from three, 73% from the free throw line, and 61% overall.

---

---

The thing that has people excited is his offensive upside combined with his promising speed. Ayton should be able to adapt to the pace of the big leagues right away in this NBA era of nimble bigs and quick-as-lightning guards. He's incredibly light on his feet with the ball in his hands, but especially in the post where he can hit you with a spin, hook shot, drop-step, or fade away. If he gets doubled out of the post, he's adept at facilitating under pressure by utilizing his high vantage point to see over the opposing defense.

---

We have to consider that post moves aren't necessarily the wave in the NBA these days. Still, it's encouraging that Ayton has these in his back pocket if his team needs an iso crunch-time bucket. If there are two attributes that should be considered a premium throughout the league, I'd say they are speed and shooting. Look at how the Golden State Warriors have dominated over the last several years. Deandre Ayton's shooting percentages listed above combined with his quickness can be useful for a team trying to compete deep in the postseason.

---

---

The swiftness of his movement lends itself to an impressive rebounding advantage as well. Those light feet help him ascend into the air quickly and high up (43 inch vertical) to secure incoming boards. He rebounded almost 28% of his opponents missed shots in college per The Stepian, which is good for 14th out of all Division I players per Fox Sports. Even though we aren't in a big-centric league, rebounding is always a crucial skill come playoff time. It was one of the factors that almost propelled Cleveland to victory versus Golden State in Game 1 of the NBA Finals (other than LeBron going Super-Saiyan).

---

DeAndre brings a lot of good to the table, but a few common knocks against him have to do with his communication, basketball IQ, and motor. All three of them come to a head in defensive situations. He doesn't really anticipate moments where he has to be the help defender. He'll often miss people back-cutting to the rim and rotations back to the hoop when people are driving aggressively or stuffing a dunk.

---

When setting screens, he doesn't necessarily make his presence felt with his brick-wall body. He has the potential to be an imposing force when setting picks, but oftentimes he'll make little contact with the defender which renders the pick-and-roll less effective. There were also tons of times where he's just standing around, caught looking at a guy who is dunking the ball a mere few feet away thanks to a missed rotation. When he actually does place himself at the rim, sometimes it looks like he could've done much more to contest a shot. These are all things that can be easily worked on with training staff, but the question will be whether DeAndre commits himself to become the best player he can be in the NBA.

---

---

In all likelihood, Ayton will not need to move his belongings very far because he's going to stay in-state with the Phoenix Suns. Ayton confidently remarked to the media a couple weeks back after a workout, "I'm going to Phoenix". ESPN's Draft Analyst Jonathan Givony labeled Ayton No. 1 in his mock draft and repeated that sentiment on an Arizona sports talk show Doug & Wolf. Ayton is definitely the safe pick at #1, but it doesn't feel like he'll be a surefire superstar/franchise cornerstone big man in the way people pegged Anthony Davis for example. His size and speed remind me of Joel Embiid, but he hasn't shown the defensive prowess of the man at the center of the Process just yet. He has the tools to be an elite player at his position, it's just up to him to use and improve them.

---

Thank you for following @steemsports and you can find me @mateonav53

---

---

---

---

This is a @steemvoter subscription payment post. Thank you to Steemvoter customers for allowing us to use your Steem accounts to upvote this post by virtue of your free subscription to the https://steemvoter.com bot service. @steemvoter is proudly a @buildteam subsidiary and sister project to @steemsports, @steemsports-es, @steemsports-ita and @minnowbooster.