Phoenix Suns: The pros and cons of drafting Deandre Ayton No. 1 overall

Pro: The U of A connection

Drafting a player to an NBA team just because he played at a university a few hours down the road is dumb. Drafting a player because he went to high school in Phoenix is also dumb. However, there’s no denying the the U of A connection plays a factor here, and it’d be ignorant to do so.

For the last eight years (and probably even longer, if we’re being honest), the Suns haven’t had the best reputation when it comes to the owner and front office. This team is barely in the process of restoring its league-wide image, hiring James Jones to help repair its reputation and put ugly endings with Isaiah Thomas, Goran Dragic, Marcus Morris, Markieff Morris and so many others in the past.

To that end, drafting a big man from Tucson who calls Arizona home now would certainly make a lot of hometown fans happy. That alone is not enough reason to draft him, but if he is great and there is that U of A connection to enjoy? Ayton will go down as one of the most beloved Suns in franchise history whether he wins a championship or not.

Ayton hasn’t worked out for anyone but the Suns, and though he said they haven’t told him anything, he “knows” he’s going No. 1. As if that weren’t enough, he watched Game 3 of the NBA Finals with Devin Booker, Josh Jackson and several other Suns. The writing is on the wall, and after witnessing the media zoo that was his only pre-draft workout, it was hard for anyone in the room to deny the air of inevitability to it all.

"“Most of my family is already here in Phoenix and we made this home since I came here in high school,” Ayton said. “We’ve adapted to the weather, the people, everybody knows us now. This is like our second home so we just feel welcome and it’d be a blessing if I become the No. 1 pick and make this home.”"

If the Suns draft Ayton and he’s everything he’s projected to be, even the staunchest of ASU fans will love him. If the Suns draft Ayton and he winds up being a 20-10 guy who can’t stay on the floor in a playoff series, well, at least the “draft bust” McDonough invested in will be a local guy.

Con: Caving to public pressure

There’s the flip side of the coin too, however. As much as this appears to be a match made in heaven, there’s an undeniable amount of pressure on the Suns to take the local guy, not only because he appears to be the consensus top pick, but because passing him up would light up the torches and sharpen the pitchforks real quick.

He’s a U of A guy. He’s the type of franchise center Phoenix has never had, he and Booker would be Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant 2.0, they just HAVE to take him. You’ve heard the takes. They’re annoying and have nothing to do with basketball, but that mindset has sucked the air out of the room for McDonough to breathe in any other prospect.

The Suns have done their due diligence, bringing in Marvin Bagley III, Mo Bamba and Jaren Jackson for workouts while keeping their eye on Doncic overseas, but there’s an inordinate amount of pressure for this happy union to happen.

If the Suns are convinced Ayton is the best prospect, so be it. But if the public pressure and mob mentality on the outside seeps into the front office even one iota, their thought process could be compromised.

This could all be much ado about nothing if Ayton is an absolute monster, but it just figures the one year the Suns finally get their hands on a No. 1 pick, it’d be in a draft where the difference between the best prospect and the fifth-best prospect is so minimal, with the team almost being boxed into taking the local guy simply because “it makes too much sense.”

Drafting a No. 1 pick is always remembered for either being brilliant or a complete dud, but it will be magnified in the Suns’ case; Ayton will either be remembered as a no-brainer decision in retrospect if he’s great, or a bad decision swayed by some stupid local connection if he’s not.