Phoenix Suns: 5 players to watch in 2018 NCAA Tournament
1. DeAndre Ayton, Arizona
DeAndre Ayton is the most dominant player in college basketball and the red-hot Arizona Wildcats are going to look to ride him all the way to Sean Miller’s first Final Four appearance.
With Virginia looking vulnerable after losing De’Andre Hunter for the tournament, the underseeded Wildcats are a trendy pick to come out of the South region — provided they can avoid any potential Cinderellas, get by a tough Kentucky team in the round of 32 and potentially beat a 30-win Cincinnati team in the Elite Eight.
As you can probably tell, Arizona’s path to the Final Four is brutal, but this has been one of the hottest teams in college basketball lately and their unstoppable big man is a major reason why. At 7’0″ and 243 pounds, the chiseled Ayton is the closest thing to David Robinson that scouts have seen since…well, David Robinson.
He often looks like a man among boys, and for Arizona to make some noise in this brutal region of the bracket, they’ll need that to continue. Ayton should be up to the challenge though, averaging a stunning 20.3 points, 11.5 rebounds, 1.9 blocks and 1.6 assists per game on the season. He’s also shooting 61.6 percent from the field while knocking down 36.4 percent of his 3-pointers (on 1.0 attempts per game).
Ayton looks the part of a stretch-5 at the next level. He’s only 19 years old, he’s got great touch and skill for a seven-footer, and he’s an offensive weapon who could impact the game right away alongside Booker.
What Suns fans should be keeping an eye on is the defensive end of the floor, where his effort and aptitude could still use some work. His sheer size and length helps him put up impressive block numbers, but being able to switch onto ball-handlers, capably defend pick-and-rolls and embody a true defensive anchor as part of a team defense are skills he has yet to master.
Next: 2018 NBA Draft - Early March Mock Draft
He should be slated as the No. 1 or the No. 2 pick in the 2018 NBA Draft no matter what happens to the Wildcats in the tournament, but for the sake of extra DeAndre Ayton footage (and it kills me to say this as an ASU alum), let’s hope Arizona provides us with plenty of opportunities to watch him play deep into March.