Phoenix Suns: The pros and cons of drafting Deandre Ayton No. 1 overall
Deandre Ayton seems like a lock to go to the Phoenix Suns with the No. 1 pick in the 2018 NBA Draft. Here are the pros and cons of taking the U of A product first overall.
It took 50 years as an NBA franchise for the Phoenix Suns to get their first No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft, and with the team riding a franchise-record eight-year playoff drought, it couldn’t have come at a better time.
General manager Ryan McDonough’s rebuild hasn’t gotten anywhere, taking two steps back for every step forward before collapsing into a full-on youth movement. Devin Booker is already tired of losing and the Suns are the longest-tenured franchise in the league to never win a title, despite being one of the NBA’s five winningest organizations of all-time.
In other words, the pressure is on.
It is not hyperbole to say this is the most important offseason in Phoenix’s history, and it starts Thursday, June 21, when the Suns are the first team on the clock in the 2018 NBA Draft. Of course, it figures they would have this prestigious honor in a year where the frontrunner for the top pick is so flawed.
Make no mistake about it: Deandre Ayton is the consensus No. 1 prospect in the 2018 NBA Draft. There are many that prefer Luka Doncic (long live the resistance!) and some who are starting to wonder if the Suns might be better off trading down for Jaren Jackson Jr. or Mohamed Bamba, but Ayton in Phoenix seems like the preordained match.
It’s not just the fact that he’s built like David Robinson at 19 years old or that he’s projected to go No. 1 in ESPN‘s latest mock draft, The Ringer‘s latest mock, Sports Illustrated‘s mock, CBS Sports‘ mocks and every single rendition of the Arizona Republic‘s mock draft either.
It’s the nature of the narrative that seems to won everyone over. A seven-foot center from the University of Arizona, who would become a state-wide hero and represents the kind of franchise center the Suns have never had in their 50-year history? It’d be perfectly poetic for Phoenix to draft him and watch him blossom into a driving force behind its first ever championship.
However, there’s a lot more to consider here. Though he’s a terrific rebounder and finisher in the paint who projects to be able to spread the floor and serve as a rim-runner, Ayton is certainly a flawed top prospect, despite his exceptionally high ceiling. He’s a poor screener, settles from the outside and has major defensive question marks.
In the interest of being thorough, it’s time to take a look at each one of the Suns’ possible targets with the No. 1 overall pick and break down the pros and cons. We begin with their most likely choice on draft night, Deandre Ayton.