Sacramento Kings: The pros and cons of drafting Deandre Ayton No. 2

Pro No. 3: Ayton has tremendous potential defensively

Much is expected from modern NBA bigs on the defensive end. They’re tasked with defending their own man in the paint while maintaining the ability to switch off pick-and-rolls in order to guard smaller and quicker ball-handlers.

If centers aren’t capable of guarding 1-5 or at least holding their own in spurts, it makes a coach’s defensive schemes very difficult to execute, forcing the coach to hide said player on the opposition’s worst offensive talent if at all possible.

Ayton is nowhere close to his ceiling on defense, but he has the skill-set to reach it.

Blessed with quick feet, he spent a good chunk of his lone season in Arizona guarding on the perimeter as a result of playing power forward, giving him the experience to build off of heading into his rookie season.

This doesn’t guarantee that exposure will translate against far superior NBA talent, but it’s a good stepping stone for a player who can use his physique to become a two-way force in the league.